The Future's Hope
by SailorChronos1
Summary: In 30th century Crystal Tokyo, Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion, and most of the Senshi have disappeared.  A teenaged Princess 'Chibiusa' Serenity must deal with an invasion without their help.  Sequel to Journeys Through the Past.
1. Chapter 1

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope

by Sailor Chronos

Chapter One: Unseen Threat

Journal, April 23rd 2909  
This is a wonderful day. Small Lady returned safely from the past and has been regaling everyone with tales of her adventures. "Hotaru-chan", "Pegasus" and "Neherenia" are names that come up frequently. It's all as I remember it. Kurisu and I have been summoned to see Neo-Queen Serenity this afternoon, which is an honour. I rarely have the occasion to visit the palace, since the Senshi come to our home regularly for tea.

The large ornate doors opened before them and they walked into the throne room. Chronos was always amazed by its beauty. Serenity had done an excellent job of recreating her mother's throne room from the old days on the Moon. Beside her, resplendent in his full Knight's armour, Kurisu was just as captivated.

The tapping of a staff on the floor brought their attention to the end of the room where two large thrones dominated a raised dais. Standing in front of them was Neo-Queen Serenity, looking as regal as ever, holding her Moon Tier. "Sailor Chronos. Sir Knight Kurisu. Thank you for coming."

They knelt before her. "Our duty to you, Majesty."

Serenity smiled. "Please rise, my friends. The summons wasn't formal, you need not have gone to the trouble of dressing up. Would you like some tea?" She led them into a dining room where a table was laid out with a silver tea service and a plate of small cakes.

"Majesty, ought not your servants..." Kurisu began in astonishment as the Queen poured tea for them.

"I wouldn't ask them to do something that I can easily do for myself," Serenity replied. "Believe it or not, I'm much less of a klutz than I once was. Even Small Lady has a hard time believing it, after seeing the past as she has." She shook her head ruefully. "What a character I was back then."

Chronos chuckled. "I remember, down to the last detail. But everyone must grow up sometime. We both learned that the hard way."

"Indeed we did, Lia-chan, which is why I asked you here. You're the perfect person for the task that is at hand." The Queen gestured and a holo-ball floated into the room. She passed her hand over it, and an image appeared of four gaudily dressed young girls. "Do you remember them?"

"Yes, they are the Amazoness Quartet. Once minions of the Dead Moon Circus, they were healed and went on to live normal lives. None of the Senshi has seen them since."

"That is true, but I know they still live. You two must find them, for I believe there will come a time when they will be needed."

"Majesty, we wouldn't know where to start looking," Kurisu said, "or even what they look like. They would be grown up by now."

Now Serenity laughed. "I doubt that, Kurisu. Physically mature, yes. Grown up? That remains to be seen. When you find them you are to harbour them in secrecy, and train them as befits Sailor Senshi." She held out her hand and four slender wands appeared, floating in mid-air. They were coloured pink, green, blue and red respectively, and were each topped with a gold crown shape which had a symbol embedded in it.

Chronos stared; she recognized the symbols. "Those are..." She cleared her throat and straightened up. "Surely there are others who could do better."

"The other Senshi have their duties," the Queen said in a tone which brooked no contradiction. "You are currently available, and considering what you have faced in the past, you are the only one who would understand how to proceed."

She sighed, then remembered something. Perhaps this was what her predecessor had meant when she had told her to find a new duty when their Kingdom was reborn. She nodded. "I accept, Queen Serenity."

"As do I," Kurisu added. "We won't let you down."

As they were walking back to their house Kurisu asked, "Are you all right, Lia-chan? When you saw the wands you looked like you had seen a ghost."

"I was surprised, that's all. I hadn't been expecting this quite so soon. But now I have a purpose once again, and I must carry it out."

He put his arm around her shoulders. "This time we'll do it together. We were forced apart once because of our duties; I won't let that happen again."

She kissed him.

* * *

"Captain on the bridge!"

The crew snapped to attention as the Second announced the Captain's presence. "At ease," the deep voice said. "Return to your stations." A tall hooded man, dressed in a crisp grey uniform with a navy blue cloak draped about his shoulders, walked across the floor to stand by his Second. "Report."

The man saluted. "Scans show a fertile world; ratio of water to land seventy percent, environmental stability eighty percent. Inhabited, approximate population two billion. We are still trying to pinpoint energy sources that will give us an indication of technology level." He typed a command on a console and a holographic image of the planet appeared in the middle of the room. The Captain regarded it for a few minutes.

"It's perfect."

* * *

Journal, June 30th 2917  
The day has arrived. Everything that must be done has been done. All that remains is for Small Lady to have best birthday party ever. I only hope that we will eventually be forgiven.

"Happy birthday to you / Happy birthday to you / Happy birthday, dear Serenity / Happy birthday to you!"

Princess Usagi "Small Lady" Serenity brushed happy tears from her eyes as everyone clapped and encouraged her to blow out the fifteen candles on the large two-tiered cake that stood on the table. She actually managed to do so with one breath.

"Did you make a wish?" Venus asked with a wink.

Jupiter teased, "I'll bet it was to find a boyfriend!"

"Right, Jupiter, like that's the only thing on her mind," Mars said, then blushed when Jupiter mock-glared at her.

Mercury giggled.

King Endymion handed his daughter an engraved cake knife. "Cut the cake, dear. Then we can tell the pastry chef how delicious it was."

Slicing carefully, Serenity served six pieces and was cutting a seventh when she hesitated, then put the knife down.

"What's wrong?" her mother asked. "The cake can't be that bad."

"Nothing," she said quickly. "I just feel that Lia-chan ought to be here. We've been going to her house so often lately."

A bell tinkled nearby, then the familiar weight of her feline companion Diana settled on her shoulders. "We did invite her, but she declined, saying she had other duties. She did say to ask you to save her a piece and bring it to her later."

Serenity laughed. "Okay, I'll do that." She finished cutting the cake and set a piece aside before tasting her own. "Wow, this IS yummy! The chef must have been making it for days!" Frowning then, she looked at Jupiter suspiciously. "YOU didn't make this, did you?"

The brown-haired Senshi shook her head with a grin. "Uh-uh. I'm good but not this good. Plus I'm rather out of practice."

"I have offered to excuse all of you from your duties once in a while so you may pursue your favourite pastimes," the Queen remarked, "but more often than not, you refuse, out of loyalty to me and the Princess. We should not be the sole purpose of your existence, my friends."

There were indignant exclamations from the Senshi but Endymion put up a hand. "She's quite right. As the saying goes, you need to get out more."

"Speaking of going out," Mars said, "Serenity, why don't you take that piece of cake to Chronos? We'll help clear this up and catch up with you in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay!" Picking up the plate, the Princess walked out of the dining room with Diana still draped around her neck, her long pink ponytails swirling about.

They all watched her go, then Mars and Neo-Queen Serenity exchanged a grim glance.

* * *

The Second saluted. "Sir, you will want to see this." He rotated the planet hologram and zoomed in on a chain of islands off the western coast of the larger ocean. "Our initial survey revealed few energy sources that would be consistent with a technologically advanced species. However we found this." A point of light appeared on one of the islands and statistics began to scroll across the image.

"Amazing," the Captain said, with some reverence. "This could certainly pose a threat. Use the pulse cannon to destroy it. Then transport down a squad of Cyberoids to secure the area."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Small Lady, what a surprise!" Alyssa exclaimed with a grin. "You brought me a piece of your birthday cake."

"It's the least I could do, since I've eaten enough of yours over the years. Oh, I'm called Serenity now. I'm not so small any more!"

Kurisu chuckled. "I believe it. You're almost as tall as your mother. Please have something to drink."

"Thank you, but I should go back. It's my turn to inspect the gardens today and..."

Thunder rumbled outside, but instead of subsiding in a few seconds, it became louder. They all looked out a window, but there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The noise crescendoed, ripping through the air like a supersonic jet, and from the direction of the Crystal Palace came a light so blindingly bright that it stabbed through hands and arms that were flung up to protect vision. Then... utter silence.

It was several minutes before any of them were able to see with any clarity. Diana had fared the worst, her eyes being more sensitive.

Serenity stumbled out of the house into an afternoon that seemed much darker than it had been. And gasped.

The Palace was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Two: A Legend Reborn

Serenity's mouth dropped open, and she automatically raised her hands to cover it. Then her hands started to shake. "Mother... Father... No..." Tears fell from her eyes. "It's happening again," she whispered, reliving the horrible memory when the Black Moon had attacked, all those years ago. "It can't... IT CAN'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"

She ran toward the place where the Palace had been.

"Princess, WAIT!" she heard Alyssa shout after her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop, not until she found out... Heedless of her new white dress she ran through the streets, past the people who were timidly emerging from their homes, clambering over piles of rubble that had once been walls, until she came to what should have been the archway that led to the Palace's main entrance.

There was nothing there. Just an empty, flat circular area. It was as if a giant had shoved a spatula underneath the Palace and picked it up, like Jupiter would have done with a cake.

Near panic, Serenity looked around wildly. "The underground chambers... they must have survived..." But the only entrance she knew of to the underground complex had been hidden deep within the Palace.

"HALT!" A gravelly voice caught her attention. She whirled to see a humanoid form standing a short distance away, aiming some rifle-like weapon at her. "This area has been secured in the name of the Syrollan Empire! Surrender or be destroyed!" The creature was dressed in a plain grey uniform, but its skin was a pale blue colour and its eyes were a metallic silver. "Surrender or be destroyed!" it repeated.

Thoroughly confused and frightened, Serenity shook her head and took several steps backward. There was nothing she could do. Everyone was gone. There was no more Mako-chan to make treats, or Ami-chan to help her with her studies, or Tuxedo Kamen to get her out of scrapes like this...

The creature fired a blast at her feet, knocking her down.

She was alone...

"NNNOOOOOO!" she screamed.

The crescent moon on her forehead burst into golden brilliance.

* * *

The Second gaped at the text that flew across the hologram. "Sir, these energy readings have just jumped off the scale!"

"I thought the energy source had been destroyed." The Captain's voice was grim.

"It was, but a new one has just appeared near the lead Cyberoid. It appears to be natural in origin!"

"Natural?" The Captain cupped his chin with one hand as he read. "How is this possible?" After a moment he raised an eyebrow and asked softly, "Second, do you believe in magic?"

His Second just stared.

* * *

Serenity was encompassed by light. When she opened her eyes she saw her Chibi-Moon compact floating in the air before her. She hadn't used it since she had helped the Senshi defeat Nehelenia in the past. Wide-eyed, she reached toward it. Would it still work? Would she be able to use it to protect her world as her mother had done so long ago?

When her fingers drew near, the compact flared with light... and changed. The pink heart grew somewhat larger. The gold star/wing shape on the top retracted, leaving the crown, and at the same time a gold border formed around the heart along with large winglike shapes on each side. It looked, in fact, very similar to the centrepiece of her mother's crown, but without the red jewel in the middle.

Gingerly she took it in her hand and flipped it open. The interior decoration was pretty much the same, except the star design on the bottom was now a crescent moon, and the crystal was no longer pink, but silver.

The light around her faded. The robot creature, or whatever it was, seemed to have been disoriented by it, so she decided to put her new brooch to the test.

"MOON CRISIS MAKE UP!"

Red ribbons sprouted from the brooch and wrapped themselves around her to form a fuku. With a flash of silver a choker, tiara, hair ornaments and crescent moon earrings appeared. Her Sailor fuku was almost the same as it used to be, except her boots and the trim on her gloves were now red instead of pink, and the hem of her skirt was white.

She faced the creature, who was aiming its weapon at her again.

"This place is under my protection! I will not forgive you for disturbing it! For love and justice, I am the pretty Sailor-suited soldier -" She hesitated; she wasn't "chibi" any more, yet she felt a little guilty for using the name that her mother had made famous. "- SAILOR MOON! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

It fired.

With a yell she dove out of the way, and had to keep dodging as it continued to loose blasts at her. She was foolish. It had very accurate aim, plus she had no weapon. It would only be a matter of time before she got tired. How could she defeat the thing?

"AMAZON JUNGLE ARROW!"

A blazing golden arrow pierced the robot's chest, causing it to sparkle violently before falling to the ground. Serenity looked...

Standing a short distance away were four Sailor Senshi, who appeared to be somewhat older than her. Their fukus, boots and gloves were of the same style as Eternal Sailor Moon's, except the skirts and bows were like those of the Inner Senshi. Instead of round or heart-shaped jewels in the centre of the bows there were golden stars.

Before she could speak, there was a noise nearby. Four more of the robots were approaching. "What... more of them?" she stammered.

The new Senshi stepped forward. The first one had curly red hair tied into a bun with a yellow ribbon, two long thin braids down her back, and her skirt was dark pink. "I am the Senshi of flowers, Sailor Ceres!" She made a fist with her right hand. "ROSE..." - her hand glowed pink as she flung it out - "...SPEAR!" A thorn-like projectile whizzed through the air and decapitated one of the robots.

"I am the Senshi of acrobatics, Sailor Juno!" cried the second, who had close-cropped green hair with a triple braid tied up behind her head, and wore a light green skirt. She leaped into the air brandishing a staff, and proceeded to dismember another robot with it.

"GEM... SHOWER!" A torrent of hailstones surrounded a third robot and froze it solid, and it fell to pieces. The pale blue-skirted Senshi smiled as she tossed a ball in one hand. "I am the Senshi of gemstones, Sailor Pallas!" Her blue hair was wrapped into a bun with a hair-tie that had four small spheres dangling from it.

The fourth had a red skirt, and her thick red hair was tied behind her with a series of gold clips. "And I am Sailor Vesta, the Senshi of animals. FLAME... WHIP!" A slender tongue of fire flew out of her fist and destroyed the remaining robot.

There was a pause.

"Sur...ren...der...or...be...des...troyed..."

Serenity gasped. The first machine was still functional! Paralyzed by shock, she watched it drag itself up.

"Any time now?" Ceres prompted.

"I... I can't!"

Juno snorted. "Huh, I thought you'd be better than this, after what I've heard."

"Give her a break," Vesta admonished. "It's not every day that you see your home vanish. Come on, Princess, do your stuff and let's go somewhere where we can talk properly."

"But... I don't have a weapon!" Serenity protested. "I don't even have Luna-P! All I have is..." She stared at the robot, who was struggling to find its rifle, and remembered. She DID have something: her Crystal Carillon. But what good would it do against this?

Concentrating, she held her hands out and the delicate bell appeared. As she reached for it, it glowed and transformed into a larger version of her old Pink Moon Stick. Like her brooch, its crystal was now silver. Words formed in her mind.

Gripping the rod, she pirouetted with it.

"MOON CRYSTAL HEART ATTACK!"

A double spiral of heart-shaped crystals flowed around the robot, and it exploded into hundreds of blue fragments.

"Yatta!" shouted Pallas, hopping up and down happily.

The rest of them stared at her in embarrassment. "Isn't that supposed to be Sailor Moon's line?" Juno grumbled.

* * *

The embarrassed Second gulped. "The squad has been destroyed, Captain. I don't understand. The technology we detected isn't advanced enough to harm our Cyberoids."

The Captain just smiled. "It seems that taking this planet will be a challenge. I like that. Stand down and await further instructions."

* * *

Ordinarily, she would have been exultant at her new-found power. Instead, Serenity looked dejectedly at where the Palace had been. "I hope they didn't suffer too much."

"BAKA!" Juno whacked her on the shoulder. "So the Palace is gone, but there's no proof that they're all dead!"

Ceres glared at Juno severely. "She's right. We should try to find out what really happened."

"And then we teach whoever it is not to mess with us!" Vesta said.

The Princess frowned and looked her companions over. Something about them seemed very familiar. "Hold on. I thought I recognized your hairstyles. You're the Amazoness Quartet, aren't you?"

Pallas grinned and gave the "victory" sign. "Bingo!"

"We're the Sailor Quartet now," Ceres said firmly. "Sworn to protect the Princess. That's you. Let's go somewhere safe and we'll explain."

"Fine." Serenity looked up at the sky as a breeze ruffled her fuku, and sighed before detransforming. "Times change. If you four can become Senshi then so can I. We'll find out what's going on, and I'll make certain I live up to the name... Sailor Moon."


	3. Chapter 3

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Three: City in Crisis

Serenity and her Senshi had hardly walked a few blocks when they were mobbed by a crowd of anxious people demanding to know what had happened. The Senshi were hard pressed to keep enough room around the Princess for her to be able to move.

"Stand aside, everyone!" a man's voice hollered. "We won't know what happened if you smother her!" Two men in Knight's armour wrestled through the crowd, and the people reluctantly parted.

"Kurisu-san! Shingo-ojisan!"

"Princess, please," said the latter with a relieved smile, "How many times must I ask you not to call me that while I'm in uniform?"

Serenity undignifiedly threw herself into his arms. Usagi's younger brother had grown tall and handsome. After the Earth had been awakened from its long frozen sleep, Neo-Queen Serenity had asked him to become one of her Knights, and he had gladly accepted. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"And I you, chibi-chan. Thank heavens you weren't in the Palace!" He held her at arms' length. "Come on, we need to get to Parliament. The ministers are in a deadlock about what to do, but when they see that you're safe they'll become more reasonable."

The Council Room was in chaos, with ministers gathered in small groups and arguing amongst themselves. When the heavy oak doors slammed open they all turned to see who had the audacity to interrupt what should have been a closed session. What they saw silenced them completely.

Flanked by two Knights, four Sailor Senshi and a gray cat, Princess Serenity walked down the central aisle and sat in the chair that was normally reserved for the Queen.

There was an immediate outcry. "The Princess is alive!" "We should convene a committee as stipulated in the War Act!" "What has happened to the Palace?" were among the many questions that were asked in the space of a few seconds.

Serenity was helpless to get a word in edgewise until Sailor Juno quieted everyone again with a loud whistle. "Yes, honorable ministers, I am alive and quite well," she said nervously. She had attended many parliamentary sessions with her mother but usually found them boring, and had never expected to be thrust into this role so soon. "The War Act cannot be implemented until we have more information about the source of this attack. We had no forewarning at all."

One of the more vocal ministers, Counsellor Seiki, stood. "If I may remind your Highness, the Act states that if such an attack as the one from the Black Moon were to occur again, political control should be transferred to the Council!" There was a murmur from the assembly.

"Provided that no member of the royal family or immediate relation is able to attend," she replied firmly, mentally thanking Ami-chan for making her study it. "The King and Queen have not yet been legally declared dead, and since I am present, there should be no decision on the matter. However," she had to raise her voice above the cacophony that her statement generated, "I will declare a state of emergency. Crystal Tokyo should be on full alert, and General Hayashi will report to me with any findings. Closed." She rose and left the room with as much grace as she could muster, since her knees were shaking.

Outside, Diana congratulated her. "You kept control of that lot very well. Your mother would have been proud."

She sniffed. "If only I had paid attention during all those times that Mother dragged me into that place! I'm not a politician; how can they expect me to know what to do?"

"Because in difficult times, people often forget how to help themselves and turn to others for leadership," Kurisu said. "We must maintain order, otherwise everything that Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion worked to build will collapse."

"You are the one person whom everyone will look to," Ceres added. "You'll need to make yourself visible, to show the people that you're alive and on top of things."

"Even when all I want to do is hide myself away?" she shouted, in tears now. "I just lost my parents and my best friends!"

Shingo hugged her tightly as she sobbed, a sad frown on his face. "Unfortunately, yes. We'll all have the chance to mourn later. For now, we have to be in command."

* * *

"I'm as perplexed as you are, Captain," the Second said. "The source disappeared soon after the Cyberoids were destroyed. Could it have been a weapon of some kind?"

"Speculation is useless. Prepare a reconnaissance team; First Commander Soldeen will lead it. They are to make a survey of the site and report any anomalous readings. If there is resistance from the native life forms they may defend themselves, but at this stage, violence is to be kept to a minimum if at all possible."

"Yes sir."

* * *

After escorting Serenity and the Senshi back to the Ichijo residence, Shingo and Kurisu went off to round up the surviving Knights so they could assist the authorities in maintaining discipline in the city core. Alyssa met them and invited them inside.

The Princess was more than a little surprised when her Senshi detransformed into four ordinary-looking young women. With the exception of their hairstyles, the flamboyant outfits that they had worn while they were in the employ of the Dead Moon Circus were gone. They had even changed their names: CereCere was now Sera, JunJun was June, ParaPara had chosen the name Tara, and VesuVesu was Bess.

"I suppose you're wondering why these particular people were chosen," Alyssa said.

Serenity nodded. "The thought had crossed my mind."

"It was your mother's idea. She remembered them well, and felt that they had great potential. Kurisu and I tracked them down and spent several years training them."

"That's why you were hardly ever at the Palace," the Princess realized. "You were busy with them."

"We were reluctant at first," Sera said, sipping from a cup of tea. "We had worked hard to build lives for ourselves and didn't want to abandon that. Tara!" She glared at Tara who was making a show of balancing a cup and saucer on the end of a spoon. Tara flushed and put the china back on the table.

"But the temptation of being able to use magic again was very strong," admitted Bess. "Don't worry, we know that we should only use it to protect. Alyssa-san has repeatedly threatened to remove our powers if we abuse them."

"I noticed during the fight that you didn't use any magical attack," Serenity said, turning to June. "I'm just curious if..."

June shrugged. "I do have my own attack, I just don't use it much. I prefer the exhilaration of physical combat. My acrobatic skills have come in very useful."

Alyssa walked to the centre of the room. "We need to find out who is responsible for this and devise a strategy against them, since they are obviously hostile. The main concern is why they didn't show up on any scanners."

"That's easy," Bess said. "Their base is cloaked."

"Yeah, like the Circus was," added Tara.

Sera shook her head. "The Palace's scanner was state-of-the-art. Even a cloaked base would have registered, since most propulsion technology that we know of leaves a telltale energy wake. Whoever did this has technology that's beyond our capability to detect."

"The Aqua Mirror!" Serenity said excitedly. "It can see anything! What if we find Sailor Neptune and -"

"That won't be possible," Alyssa said sadly. "The Outer Senshi were dispatched some time ago to establish an early warning system on the worldlet that orbits beyond Pluto." She didn't need to mention the reviled name of the place. "If there is an enemy already here, it means that they have failed."

Everyone was stunned. "Uranus... Neptune... Pluto..." Serenity looked at Alyssa with pleading eyes. "They're..?"

Alyssa closed her eyes with a sigh. "Probably dead."

The Princess let out a wail. "This can't be happening! All my friends are dying!" She began to cry.

June grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Hey! Don't be so selfish, odango! If they are dead, they died in order to protect Earth! It's a Senshi's duty, which you should know as well as the rest of us, since you are a Senshi too!"

"We're here not just as your Senshi, but as your friends," said Bess soothingly. "Even though we haven't known each other long, we want to help you as best we can."

A low-pitched ringing tone cut through Serenity's sobs. Alyssa left the room briefly and returned with a holo-ball. "Ladies, you'll want to see this. It's being broadcast live from a news crew." The ball displayed a crowd of people that had gathered at the former site of the Palace. Standing in the middle of the barren area was a tall handsome man with short light-brown hair, who wore a uniform similar to those that the robots had been wearing. He was apparently supervising several other men who were walking around with various hand-held instruments. His gaze swept over the crowd, then he noticed the cameraman.

"Citizens, I am here to announce that this planet is henceforth a member of the Syrollan Empire." His resonant voice carried easily across the area. "We regret having to destroy your principal energy source, but we don't want to have any trouble with resistance. My men and I are performing a routine survey, that is all, and have no intention of harming anyone."

Wiping away her tears, Serenity stood. The look on her face was sheer outrage. "Resistance indeed. I'll tell this person who he's dealing with." She headed for the door.

"Serenity!" Alyssa called, and the Princess turned. "We'll all go with you. Just think carefully about what to say when we get there. With luck we can gain an advantage." She nodded to the others and they took out their wands.

"Ceres Power..." "Juno Power..." "Pallas Power..." "Vesta Power..." "Chronos Crystal Power..."

"MAKE UP!"

* * *

The angry crowd was threatening to burst through the ring of Knights and police officers when slowly an aisle formed. A pink-haired girl in a flowing white dress who was being escorted by five uniformed women approached. Commander Soldeen watched with interest as they walked right up to him. "What do we have here?" he asked.

"I am Princess Tsukino Usagi, known as Serenity," she said formally. "This planet is under my protection. We are a peaceful people, why have you attacked us?"

He was a little surprised to find himself in the company of royalty, and bowed. "I am Soldeen, First Commander of the Syrollan Empire ship 'Wraith'. Our empire is expanding into this sector of the galaxy, and we're searching for suitable planets to colonize. If we find a planet that's inhabited, we disable any large power sources in order to minimize the chance of resistance by the indigenous population until our forces can arrive to take formal possession."

"The power source that was here," said the Princess, who was obviously trying to conceal emotions, "was also the home of the King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo. Had you contacted us before approaching, you might have found us willing to negotiate. Now, however, I doubt the people will accept your Empire's... hospitality."

"My deepest regrets on your loss," he said sincerely. "Perhaps if I were to arrange a conference with my Captain, you could discuss some alternate arrangement?"

Serenity looked shocked but quickly recovered. "I shall have to discuss it with my government. I'll return here when I have an answer, though it may take a while."

"Then let us meet again here in two of your hours. Is that satisfactory, your Highness?"

"Yes, thank you, Commander." She curtsied, then turned to the crowd and raised her voice. "People of Crystal Tokyo! Please return home, the situation is under control!" A wave of her hand was all it took for the people to move aside for her as she walked away with her guardians, and the crowd began to dissipate.

Soldeen raised a hand to his chin. "Very interesting... We may have more trouble with this planet than the Captain thought."


	4. Chapter 4

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Four: The Politics of Power

"This is Commander Soldeen's report, sir." The Second handed over a data module.

"Most unusual," the Captain said with surprise as he scanned the document. "A constitutional monarchy, with women in high-ranking positions? Absolute respect of the general population? Scandalous by our standards."

"I quite agree, sir. We should deal with this at once."

"Let's not go on the offensive just yet, Second. This has become a delicate situation indeed. We have a unique society here, quite unlike any other planet we have conquered. I feel that conflict will only make matters worse." He paused, considering.

The Second walked up behind him. "Begging your pardon, sir, this is not like you. Are you tiring of battle, or just mellowing in your old age?"

The Captain laughed. "Both, old friend."

* * *

Serenity and the House Speaker were having a hard time keeping order in the Council Room. Every suggestion that she made caused the ministers to cover it over with their own, making it impossible for her to assert her authority. How had her mother done it?

"Patience," Diana said wearily during a brief recess, after an hour of getting nowhere. "They are afraid, and an unscrupulous few are trying to make use of the situation to their advantage. Don't worry, General Hayashi is completely loyal to you. Even if the Council orders him to act, he won't until he hears it from your mouth first."

"I doubt the military will be of any use anyway, after that display of power that the Syrollans put on," Sailor Ceres said. "We're way out of their league in terms of technology."

Sailor Juno frowned. "But we are able to destroy their minions. If their power is based on technology alone, I'd like to see how they would fare against the power of Sailor Senshi."

"I'm curious as to why they suggested a compromise in the first place," Chronos wondered. "I suspect they are just buying time until their main fleet arrives. Then they could annihilate us from orbit."

Serenity looked grim. "I won't allow that! We have to stop them before then."

"But it seems that nothing can be decided now," said Vesta. "The dissenters are making sure that the loyal ministers can't get their say, because they believe that you're too young to be taking control."

The Princess clenched her fists. "No matter how young or inexperienced I am, I am still Neo-Queen Serenity's daughter. They ought to pay me the respect that I am due!"

"Yes, but in the greatest Kingdom there are still people who don't like the way things are run. Even in the Silver Millenium there were problems." Chronos grimaced at a bad memory.

Sailor Pallas piped up. "It's time to meet the big bad wolf."

"Can't you say anything other than references to childrens' tales?" Vesta snapped at her.

Pallas only giggled. "Someone has to break the tension."

Serenity sighed. "I guess I'll have to make the decisions on my own. If the Council can't accept me, that's their problem. When all this is over I'll call an election, and we'll let the people decide who was right. Let's go to our meeting."

First Commander Soldeen was waiting at the former site of the Palace, with a squad of the robots. Serenity approached with the five Senshi and curtsied, then regarded the squad with some concern.

He bowed. "I am pleased to meet you again, your Highness. Don't worry, the Cyberoids are only present as a defensive measure. What do you have to tell me?"

"My Council cannot make a decision; it seems that they have other matters they prefer to act on. Therefore I am invoking an old law which states that if the Council can't or won't pass a vote for any reason, the monarch has the right to absolute judgment. Since I have no wish to provoke further conflict between us, I'll attend the conference with your Captain, if he is willing to have us."

"Quite, your Highness. Will your... guardians... be attending?"

Sailor Chronos gave a quick bow and stepped back, while the others remained with her. "These four, and Diana." The cat blinked.

Soldeen stared in amazement. What he had mistaken for an artificial furpiece around her shoulders was actually a live animal with a crescent moon tattoo on its forehead that matched her own. Quickly he recovered his composure. "Of course, ladies." He pressed a button on his belt and the next moment they were all standing in what looked like a large reception room.

Serenity looked around, and for a moment forgot herself. "Wow! You have teleport-capable technology? I haven't seen anything like it!"

"That is but one of the devices we have at our disposal," Soldeen said proudly. "After your conference I would be happy to give you a tour of our ship, if the Captain permits."

"I would like that very much indeed," she said. Ceres frowned but the other three looked excited.

"Then I shall await you all here. The Captain will see you now."

He indicated a door at the far end of the room.

She curtsied to him formally, then went into the next room.

* * *

Counsellor Seiki was furious when the announcement was made that the Princess and her Senshi had gone to the Syrollan ship without the Council's authorization. It was perfectly within her rights to do so, of course, but it was detrimental to everything that he was trying to accomplish.

It seemed that Neo-Queen Serenity's brat had become much more than he had bargained for. Something had to be done. He reached for his personal holo-ball.

* * *

The five women sat at the heavy, polished wooden table and regarded the mysterious cloaked man who stood at the other end. He had looked them over silently, then bowed to them. "Welcome to the Syrollan Empire flagship, 'Wraith'. I am pleased to meet you. I am Captain Dorani."

The Princess gave a formal introduction of her party. "I am Princess Tsukino Usagi, called Serenity, heir to the throne of Crystal Tokyo. These are my personal guardians, Sailor Ceres, Sailor Juno, Sailor Pallas and Sailor Vesta."

"And the animal?" His revulsion was ill-concealed.

"This is my cat, Diana. She usually goes everywhere with me, but I can remove her if you feel uncomfortable, Captain."

"Please do so."

Serenity unwound Diana from her shoulders, then bent down to put her on the floor. "Be good and wait for us." The cat nudged her mistress' feet before walking out of the room.

The Captain cleared his throat. "Let's get down to business." Seating himself, he passed a data module to her. "These are the terms of the Empire's occupation. Let me say that I regret very much having to use force to disable the power source, which, I was recently informed, also was the home of your parents, correct?"

"That's right," she said stonily. "I'm certain the Queen would have been accomodating if you had announced your presence first. May I ask if all the representatives of your Empire have the same policy?"

"Yes. We have had to deal with many peoples on our travels, and the upper echelons have decreed that the best way to prepare a planet for colonization is to use a show of force to impress the populace."

"We call it 'shoot first and ask questions later'," said Juno belligerently. "It's hardly a good way to start a relationship."

Serenity made a signal for silence, but Dorani put up a hand. "I agree with you, my lady, as strange it may sound. I may dislike the military ways, but I am only a Captain and I have to obey orders, just as my officers have to obey me. Surely as the guardian of a Princess, you understand that."

Juno subsided.

The meeting went on for a short time, with Serenity reading out the terms and discussing them with her Senshi, and the Captain providing some clarifications. Soon though, the discussion ground to a halt. "I can't agree to this," she said, pointing out one of the requirements. "I must give up control of my government to Syrollan management? What price would the people pay if that happens? Instead of a ruler who cares about them, they would have a distant bureaucracy that only has monetary issues on its agenda. Nothing would get done, and I would end up being a figurehead in name only."

"That sort of policy has been the catalyst for several revolutions in our planet's history," Ceres said. "Such a clause is a guarantee of a revolt, meaning more bloodshed on both sides."

Captain Dorani crossed his arms over his chest in exasperation. "I didn't write the rules, ladies, but I have a duty to enforce them. The best I can do is to send a message to Syrollan High Command asking for a second opinion, even though I already know what it will be, to give you a few days to prepare. I'm sorry."

Serenity put down the module and stood, and the Senshi followed suit. "So am I, Captain. If it comes to war, then we will defend our planet to the best of our ability. You may find that your great weapons won't make a difference." She curtsied with dignity and walked out, followed closely by her guardians.

Commander Soldeen and Diana were waiting for them. "That went more quickly than I expected. I assume all is well?" he asked.

"No, I'm afraid I can't accept your terms. I won't place the fate of my people in the hands of an empire that is interested only in exploitation."

"I had a feeling that you would say that. How unfortunate," he said with real disappointment. "Can I show you our lovely ship, or would you prefer to depart?"

The Princess looked at him squarely. "Your offer is generous, but I don't wish to overstay our welcome, particularly since I declined the Empire's offer."

"Very well." He pressed a few buttons on his belt, and they were all suddenly back on the surface. "I must say, I'm impressed with the behaviour of your pet. I wish that all animals could be so well trained." Diana mewed, and he smiled down at her. "A word of advice, your Highness: don't panic yet. The Captain has been known to change his mind."

"Thank you, Commander." The five women and the cat walked away.

Soldeen sighed, then activated his teleport device again. He appeared in a corridor near the conference room, and was soon approached by a shadowed figure.

"What's the situation?" a low voice asked.

"Not good, the terms were rejected. We may be at war sooner than anticipated. We have to act."

"Not yet, we must wait for the right time. Most of the crew may be loyal, but even one small cog in a very large machine can eventually cause it to fail. Patience."


	5. Chapter 5

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Five: Dissention in the Ranks

"I hope you have a good reason for calling me at this hour," the figure in the holo-ball complained. After a few moments' explanation, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair tiredly. "This is a very bold thing you are planning, Seiki-san. Are you certain that Hayashi won't budge?"

"Positive. Therefore we'll have to depose him or otherwise remove him from the picture. I've already told my contact in the military to start the relevant procedure. If worse comes to worst he will have to be killed, as much as I dislike violence."

"I wish the same could be said of certain visitors. All right, I'll back you when the Council votes tomorrow."

"Good. The resolution has to pass, one way or another."

* * *

Princess Serenity was exhausted, but she still couldn't sleep. Too much had happened in the past few hours, and she needed to reflect.

Quietly putting on her dress, she stepped over the sleeping forms of her Senshi who lay on Lia-chan's living room floor, and let herself out of the house. Perhaps a walk would help.

The moon shone brightly, lighting her way as she walked, until she found herself at the edge of the place where the Palace had been. Had her family truly been annihilated? If they had known that an enemy was approaching, surely they could have taken measures to avoid this. Unfortunately there was no way of knowing now. Tears came to her eyes.

"Is it all right for you to be out by yourself, your Highness?"

She whirled at the voice, and saw Soldeen standing nearby. Quickly wiping her tears away, she cleared her throat before speaking. He didn't need to know how emotionally fragile she was. "Commander... You startled me. No, but I had to get out and be by myself. Being the ruler, I don't have to abide by a curfew."

He smiled. "There are advantages to having power, but sometimes they are outweighed by the difficulties. Would you do me the honour of walking with me, or would it upset your people too much to see their Princess keeping company with the enemy?"

Serenity chuckled, despite herself. "We are not enemies until you receive your message from the Empire, and I would appreciate the conversation." She tucked her hand in his proffered arm and they walked down the street together.

"Please tell me, what does your name signify?" he asked. "In the Syrollan Empire, many people are named after legendary heroes. Captain Dorani for example, was named after a man who helped save a Syrollan outpost from an attack by pirates."

"That's very interesting," she said thoughtfully. "That occurs here on Earth too. Some names have a special meaning when rendered into the originating language. My birth name, Tsukino Usagi, means 'rabbit of the moon' which is a reference to an old Japanese legend."

"Really? If that is your real name, why are you called Serenity?"

"That's another story," she said wistfully. "Serenity was the name of my mother's mother, who was a queen many years ago. My mother used Neo-Queen Serenity to avoid confusion. You know, your name sounds like it has its roots in Earth languages. It's strange for an alien."

"I was named for my father's father, and he for his. It has been passed down for a long time, as a family tradition. But do tell, what do you think it means?" His tone was amused.

She considered for a moment. "Sol is the Latin word for our sun. Deen is an old spelling of 'dean' which comes from a French word that refers to the senior member of a group of people. So your name would mean something like 'sun master'. How does that sound?"

"Fascinating! You're quite well-educated for someone so young," he complemented.

Flushing, she curtsied. "Thank you, sir. I had my reasons for wanting to learn. I want to make a good queen someday."

"It looks like you will be. I'd like to hear the entire tale of your family sometime. Having such a legacy must be difficult for you to bear."

"Yes, it is."

He walked her back to Alyssa's house and bid her good-night.

* * *

"Second, have you heard from Soldeen yet? His report is overdue."

"I have the report here, sir," the Second replied, handing a module over. "However, the commander is nowhere to be found. I believe he may be on the surface."

Captain Dorani scowled. "Have Commander Joslen report to me. It seems that Soldeen is getting too... involved with the mission. Perhaps it would be a good idea to reassign him."

"He's not going to like it," his Second muttered.

"Of course not, Kavir, but we must maintain discipline. We can't have our officers distracted, can we?"

* * *

Serenity received a royal rounding in the morning when her Senshi discovered that she had sneaked out.

"Are you totally crazy?" Juno shouted. "Talking with the enemy? You could have jeopardized our position!"

"I didn't tell him any secrets!" Serenity replied hotly. "We just talked about our families. Surely that's not a breach of protocol!"

"And what will the people think?" Vesta asked. "You are betrothed to Prince Helios, are you not? Such behaviour is most-"

The Princess cut her off. "I never said I was betrothed to Helios. It's true that I had a crush on him as a girl, but we have been good friends for a long time. Everyone only assumed that we were to be married because of our stations." Sarcasm crept into her voice. "A union between the keepers of the Silver Crystal and the Golden Crystal would create a supremely powerful force like this galaxy has never seen. Well, nobody asked ME for my opinion!"

The Senshi were shocked into silence, except for Alyssa who knew better. "All that aside, we need to discuss what will be addressed in the Council meeting today. There is dissent building and we need to defuse it now before something happens."

* * *

"This Council will come to order!" the Speaker shouted, desperation in his voice. The ministers who were backing Counsellor Seiki's demand that Serenity release her authority were becoming unruly and her statements hadn't placated them in the slightest.

"You need to get their attention," Diana whispered in her ear.

She nodded, rose from her seat and held up her hand. Her Crystal Moon Rod appeared, and its glowing brilliance rendered everyone silent. "Am I still the head of the Council, or am I not?" she asked angrily, putting the Rod away again. "There has been no vote to impeach me. You shall carry out your instructions or I will dissolve this Council and manage the situation on my own."

There was a cheer from the loyal ministers and Seiki went red-faced with fury. "You can't do that!"

Sailor Chronos stood. "Yes, she can. It is the ruler's right."

"Since when does a Sailor Senshi dictate policy?" he sneered.

"Seiki-san, you are out of line," the Speaker said severely, but Chronos put up a hand.

"I will answer the question. I have stood by my liege in Council since the days of the Silver Millennium, and my loyalty is unshakable. You may make an objection of course, but I doubt this Council will carry it. The Senshi have always been the official guardians and advisors of the royal family." She reseated herself.

A general murmur of assent followed this statement but Seiki refused to be swayed. "The royal family is dead. This... girl... cannot lead us against such a powerful enemy. To keep the status quo will be the ruin of us all!"

The Princess clenched her fists, struggling to keep her temper as the chamber erupted into chaos. Pallas made a funny face at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Have Seiki-san ejected," Vesta suggested quietly.

"No," Ceres said. "If she does that, his supporters will only reinforce their position. Princess, you need to send a clear message that you won't back down that easily."

Juno nodded. "Perhaps a show of power. If your words won't get through to them, that will."

With a grim expression, Serenity held up her hand again. This time she called forth her compact, and opened it to reveal the ginzuishou inside. A blaze of silver light filled the room, and her next words echoed in the minds of all present. "Mister Speaker, honorable Ministers, Knights and Senshi. We must all work together against the threat, not argue amongst ourselves. If we cannot do that, we deserve to be destroyed. I call upon this Council to vote with their hearts; believe in me." The light faded as she closed her compact and sat down, a little drained from the effort.

In the hush that followed, the house Speaker cleared his throat and said formally, "It has been proposed that Princess Serenity release her ruling authority to the Council. Yea or nay?"

A resounding "NAY!" boomed through the chamber.

Defeated but defiant, Seiki gathered up his papers and left, along with two others. The rest of the ministers applauded noisily, and the Senshi whooped at the victory. At last Serenity could relax.

For now.

* * *

Soldeen was indeed angry when he saw his new orders saying that he had been replaced by Joslen and was to supervise the Cyberoid construction instead. He had been getting to like Serenity and now he wouldn't be as free to see her as he wanted.

His contact had instructed him to wait, so wait he would. However, there was something that he could do in the meantime. He looked at his orders again and chuckled to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Sailor Moon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Six: A Prelude to War

A messenger handed Serenity a piece of paper as the Council adjourned. As she read it her expression changed from jubilation to concern, then she mutely passed it to her entourage.

Sailor Chronos frowned. "General Hayashi has disappeared. This is bad; it gives the dissenters more fodder to use against you, and the military now has no senior commander."

"Should we start a search?" Vesta asked.

Ceres replied, "We wouldn't know where to begin. Besides, our place right now is with the Princess. If someone took out Hayashi-san, they might be planning to do the same to Serenity."

Shaking in anger, the Princess rose. "I will not be intimidated. Whoever is responsible for this must be found and punished." She summoned the messenger and dictated a letter to Hayashi's aide. "To Colonel Kasamoto from Princess Serenity, regarding the disappearance of General Hayashi. A full search is authorized; temporary command transferred to you as of this date. Loyalty is essential, anyone suspected of treason may be arrested." She signed it and waved the boy off. He had only just departed when a Knight hurried up.

"Your Highness, there's trouble outside!"

On the former site of the Palace, the city police were having a difficult time keeping the media and too-curious citizens away from the squad of Syrollan men who were setting up a temporary structure. A constable called out, "We believed that no occupation of any sort would take place until your orders were finalized by your Empire. Has something happened to Commander Soldeen?"

The squad leader stepped forward, a stocky muscular man with a round face. "I am Second Commander Joslen, Soldeen's replacement. The orders haven't yet been confirmed but we decided to start a little ahead of time." He snickered. "Be fortunate that the Captain didn't wipe out another section of the city as a response to your Princess' refusal of his contract."

Cries of indignation and anger emanated from the crowd.

"Stop this now!" shouted a defiant female voice. It belonged to a young woman in a brightly-coloured skirted outfit who was standing on top of the half-completed building. "This wasn't in the agreement and I won't forgive you for breaking your word!"

Gradually the mood of the people changed to subdued awe as they all murmured amongst themselves. Joslen stared in disbelief at the sight of one girl being able to quell a near-riotous mob. "Who are you?" he called with some suspicion.

She tossed her her long pink ponytails. "I stand for love and justice! I am the pretty Sailor-suited soldier, Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon..."

Four more similarly-attired women appeared behind her.

"We will punish you!"

Excited shouts rose up. "Sailor Senshi!" "It's true!" "Sailor Moon has returned!"

From the reaction of the crowd, Joslen realized that he was dealing with more than just a bunch of very inappropriately dressed girls. This "Sailor Moon" seemed to be a legendary figure, something he certainly wasn't prepared for. "And how do you intend to do that, young lady?" He gestured to the men, who put their tools down and drew weapons. "I can have you shot where you stand."

One of the girls, who wore a red skirt, eyed the men carefully for a moment before making a jerking motion with her fist. "FLAME WHIP!" A firey whiplike shape sprouted from her hand and she used it to knock the blasters flying one by one before the men could react. Then she held the "whip" over her head; it was still ablaze, yet somehow didn't burn her. "You were saying?"

Shaken, Joslen quickly pressed buttons on his belt. He and his men vanished, to be replaced a few seconds later by the same number of Cyberoids.

"Five against five, no problem!" Juno grinned and hefted her staff.

Sailor Moon addressed the people. "Everyone, please back off so nobody will get hurt!"

One of the Cyberoids raised its weapon to aim at Sailor Vesta, when sparks suddenly flew from its head and it froze in position. The same thing happened to the rest in quick succession.

The Senshi regarded each other in confusion. They had expected a battle, not this.

"Anybody have an oil can?" Pallas asked.

* * *

"So, the little girl has teeth after all." A uniformed man sporting stripes denoting a high-ranking officer leaned toward his holo-ball as he brandished a clipboard. "But she's still far too innocent for her own good. Even her mother couldn't see what was happening under her nose. Best to be rid of both of them."

The person on the other end of the connection made a negative gesture. "Not yet, she may still have her uses. Keep Hayashi secure, and be ready when I contact you."

* * *

"Soldeen, please explain this," Captain Dorani demanded with annoyance. "Five Cyberoids that were sent down as backup for Joslen's squad didn't function properly, and we were unable to retrieve them. You are in charge of the construction and maintenance; you should have verified their condition before they were activated."

"I assure you sir, they were in perfect working order before they were teleported," was the crisp reply. "It is now known that the Sailor Senshi possess magical powers. Perhaps it was they who disabled the Cyberoids."

The Second stepped up. "That's entirely possible, given that their powers don't register on our scanners, with the exception of the energy burst we detected yesterday."

Somewhat mollified, Dorani paced about the bridge in silence. He stopped in front of the holographic imager, which was displaying an aerial view of Crystal Tokyo, and frowned. "Get Joslen up here. He must still explain to me why he acted against his orders. This has only made the situation worse."

* * *

Journal, July 1st 2917  
The atmosphere over the city is tense. Despite our victory in Parliament, we must still find out what happened to General Hayashi and locate the three dissident Senators. The Syrollans are on the move as well, and I fear that Serenity may be starting to buckle under the pressure. This is all happening too quickly for her.

"You still write in your journal?" Kurisu asked with a smile. "I thought you had put it away a long time ago."

Alyssa smiled, somewhat wearily. "I still need to gather my thoughts once in a while when things get difficult. Where are the Senshi?"

"At the military base, watching their scientists take apart the Cyberoids. They're all having a field day trying to identify the technology."

"I hope they find something that will help us locate the ship. The Senshi could always teleport there, since they have been aboard, but Colonel Kasamoto will probably insist that the military with deal with it their way."

Kurisu bowed his head in agreement. "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

"Here we are!" said one of the lab-coated technicians who was holding a tiny circuit board in his hand. "I believe this is the processor that emits the signal which the Syrollan teleport mechanism locks onto."

Sailor Ceres suggested, "If you can attach a homing device and activate the signal, it may be teleported to the ship and will transmit its location."

"That's assuming the Syrollans don't find it and disable it," the Colonel said.

"All we'd need is a few seconds," another officer assured him. "A large ship can't maneuver quickly. Missiles could be positioned for a strike before they-"

"Just a minute," Serenity interrupted firmly. "I will not authorize that kind of action unless a peaceful solution is impossible. Now, how is the search for General Hayashi progressing?"

Kasamoto looked a little embarrassed, an odd expression for someone tall and intimidating as he. "Nothing has come up yet, your Highness. It's as if he vanished into thin air. We're doing everything we can."

She nodded. "Please keep me informed." Gesturing to her Senshi, she left the laboratory with her guardians in tow.

"I think we ought to teleport up there and find out for ourselves what's going on!" Juno blurted as soon as they were out of earshot.

"That won't help," Ceres admonished her. "They have already shown themselves to be untrustworthy, but we shouldn't give them a reason to attack. We need more time to analyze all the facts."

"Time we may not have," Serenity said. "Diana told me earlier that she had a quick look around the ship while we were there and discovered that there may be a group that plans to move ahead with the invasion tomorrow, whether the orders have been confirmed or not. Apparently they resent the Captain's delaying tactics and want to get this over with."

"Why didn't you mention this sooner?" Vesta asked before Juno could get vocal.

"Because I didn't want Kasamoto-san to hear. You saw how trigger-happy they were; they're looking for anything to justify a full scale assault, which may not be effective anyway. I hope to find a better resolution."

Juno snorted. "I beg your pardon, Princess, but isn't that a little naive? Alyssa-san sometimes said that your mother was the same way, and that got her into trouble too."

The other three Senshi let loose with indignant exclamations but the Princess walked right up to Juno and glared at her. "My mother is not here. I am... and I am well aware that my attitude doesn't suit some people. If you don't like it, you shouldn't have become my Senshi."

Sailor Juno backed up a few steps, utterly shocked, then knelt down on one knee. "I apologize for any offense," she whispered.

"Please rise, Juno," Serenity said gently. "If we're to keep control of things we can't argue amongst ourselves. Let's get back and talk about what to do next."

* * *

"Sir," the Second said, "we have received a message from High Command."

The Captain was startled. "Already? They shouldn't have received our initial query yet."

"Apparently they anticipated our request. The message reads 'Proceed with the operation; no delays'."

Dorani crossed his arms over his chest. "I was afraid of this," he said regretfully. "Very well, alert Joslen and have him assemble a squad to finish the construction of the temporary facility. If the Sailor Senshi attempt to interfere, they are to be dealt with. May the Light shine mercifully on all of us."


	7. Chapter 7

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Seven: In the Face of Danger

Counsellor Seiki's holo-ball rang, followed by a blurred image. "How dare you contact me on this channel!" he hissed at the caller. "I told you to wait!"

"This can't wait. We've made a breakthrough and I thought you'd want to know. The only trouble is that the Princess will not sanction any offensive."

At once his mood improved. "No matter; this is very good news. Do what you need to do and we'll proceed."

* * *

Serenity and the Senshi returned to Alyssa's house for tea, and were met by Sailor Chronos who had been out with the Knights to help keep the peace. The latest news report was that the Syrollans had returned to work on their bunker and the general populace wasn't at all pleased.

"Something has to be done," Juno insisted. "Building on the Palace site is sacriliege!"

"There's nothing that we can do," Ceres said. "If we take any action, they could consider it an act of war and retaliate."

Pallas asked, "Maybe if we just asked them nicely to stop?"

"Don't be silly!" Vesta snapped but Alyssa waved her hand.

"She has a point. My understanding was that until they got word from their Empire, they could not act. If we talk to them civilly, they might be willing to share some information."

* * *

Second Commander Joslen was annoyed at being reprimanded by the Captain, and things only became worse as he oversaw the bunker construction. Tools had gone missing and some of the materials were badly formed. All he needed now was for the Sailor Senshi to show up, which of course they did, with their Princess. With a bit of effort he put on a smile and bowed. "Good afternoon, your Highness. What a pleasure to meet you again."

She curtsied and regarded him somewhat severely. "Commander Joslen. Please tell me why you have resumed your work? I hadn't expected this until tomorrow."

"New orders came in just a while ago, we are to proceed ahead of schedule," he informed her with some smugness. "As much as you may dislike it, that's the way it is."

The Senshi in the green skirt grumbled something under her breath, but the Princess simply looked at her and she quieted. "I understand that you are following your orders, Commander, but I must protest against construction of any kind on this site. This place was the home of the King and Queen, and to build on it-"

"That is of no concern to us," Joslen interrupted rudely. "I'm here to do my job and I won't let anyone interfere with it." He gestured and two of his men, along with four Cyberoids, drew weapons.

Serenity glared at them with considerable anger. "You would dare threaten royalty?" The Senshi assumed defensive postures around her.

Then everything happened at once.

A loud bang sounded from one side. Pallas and Vesta leaped toward the Princess, shielding her with their bodies. The Syrollan men immediately fired in the direction of the sound, destroying the front of a nearby house. While they were thus distracted, a flurry of Rose Spears from Ceres disarmed the Cyberoids. Joslen drew his own weapon and shot at the Senshi who was closest to him, which happened to be Juno. Miraculously she was able to intercept the energy bolt with her staff, which was blown into pieces.

Just as suddenly, all was silent, save the crackling of flames from the house. The Syrollans glanced about in confusion for a few seconds.

Serenity gulped, wide-eyed. Hovering in mid-air about half a metre in front of her was a bullet. A soft but firm voice spoke.

"Move."

Hesitantly, almost comically, she stepped out of the path of the bullet, which then continued on its way and eventually impacted into the side of a building. Then she turned to see Sailor Chronos holding an unconscious man by the collar. "Who-"

"What is going on here?" Joslen demanded, but the Senshi were suddenly too busy to answer him.

"GEM SHOWER!" Pallas directed her power on the burning house, and the fire was quickly stifled.

Juno looked majorly ticked off at the destruction of her staff, and flung one arm out. For a moment Serenity was afraid that she might turn her wrath on the commander, but she was aiming at the Cyberoids instead.

"ROYAL..." She slowly turned in a circle, and energy gathered to her hand. "GALE!" A fierce blast of wind lifted two of the robots into the air and spun them around so violently that they flew apart.

"FLAME... WHIP!" Vesta quickly finished off the other two.

By this time the construction workers had teleported away, except for Joslen who had discovered that his legs wouldn't move. He cursed. "This action won't go unpunished! You will be charged with interference of an approved construction site, assault on Syrollan citizens..." He paled as Sailor Chronos walked up to him, having relinquished her burden to Ceres.

"Do accept my assurance, Commander, that this little incident wasn't intentional. Apparently, dissidents among us sought to assassinate the Princess, and we are only doing our duty to protect her. I apologize for the stasis but I wasn't about to let you leave until I could inform you properly." She casually snapped her fingers and Joslen's legs were freed. "This man will go to trial as soon as it can be arranged."

He glared at them all. "Regardless of your circumstances, there will be retribution!" he vowed before teleporting.

Chronos sighed as she put a hand behind her head and looked over at the half-finished bunker. "You kids really shouldn't have blasted those Cyberoids, but at least you took out your frustrations on them instead of the men. Sailor Juno, I commend your restraint, and I'll see about getting your staff replaced with one that isn't so easily damaged."

"Thank you."

"Chronos, how did you DO that?" asked the Princess in an amazed tone. "I didn't know that you had developed more powers!"

"You never asked, and I hadn't had the occasion to use them until now." She chuckled. "I had a hard time accepting that I was even capable of it. I'm able to suspend time for an object without actually using my Stasis Disk attack. Sailor Pluto had a much broader control over the time stream, but I can manipulate it in detail, so to speak." She beckoned to the Senshi. "Now then, ladies, let's get our prisoner to the police." She started to walk and the rest followed her.

Vesta scowled. "I suspect Seiki-san is involved in this, but it's likely he won't have left any trail."

"I'd like to be present at the interrogation," Ceres requested, shifting her hold on the man a little. "If he admits anything, we should know about it. Anything could be helpful."

"Leave that to me," Chronos said. "You four are to stick with the Princess. She can't be put in danger again."

* * *

"Commander Joslen is to be relieved of duty, effective immediately," the Captain ordered. "His behaviour while on the surface was inefficient and undiplomatic."

"So noted," the Second said as he typed at a console.

Dorani growled to himself. "We can't seem to get anything done properly in this mission. Does Third Commander Conja have any negotiating experience?"

"No sir, she's the Squad Leader of our Alpha fighter wing."

"Then it seems that I'll have to take it upon myself to finish this. Ready my personal shuttle, please." He strode toward the bridge doors amidst dumbfounded exclamations from the rest of the officers.

"This is highly inadvisable," his Second stammered.

"Kavir, I am perfectly capable of handling such matters," Dorani said, waving a hand in reassurance. "Page Commander Soldeen for bridge duty." The doors hissed open and he turned back to eye his second in command when there was no response. "Well?"

The man flushed. "Ship's comm can't locate him."

The Captain clenched his fists, a black frown on his face.

* * *

After the evening meal there was a knock on the door, and Kurisu answered it. To his surprise, standing on the front patio was none other than the Syrollan First Commander. "Good evening," he said politely. "May I help you, sir?"

"Good evening, Ichijo-san," the visitor said formally. "I understand that Princess Serenity is staying here. May I speak with her for a moment, alone?"

Kurisu looked him over. Judging by what Alyssa had told him about the man, as well as his own Knight's instincts, he felt that a moment couldn't hurt. Plus he and the Senshi were close at hand. "Very well, you may have five minutes." He withdrew.

"Who is it?" asked Bess from the hallway, yawning.

"It's the Syrollan First Commander to speak to Serenity."

"Soldeen?" came an excited cry and the Princess clattered down the stairs, almost tripping over her dress. "What's he doing here?"

"Hold it!" Bess grabbed for her but wasn't quick enough, and Serenity plunged out the door.

"Leave her be." Kurisu caught Bess's arm before she could follow. "I don't think she'll come to any harm with him."

From the next room, June raised her voice. "With respect, sir, weren't you listening when Alyssa-san told you what happened this afternoon? We're supposed to stay with her at all times!"

"I trust my abilities. Give her some space."

Once outside, Serenity managed to contain her teenage ebullience and curtsied formally. "Commander, you honour me with your presence. Was there something you wished to discuss?"

He laughed. "Don't go all formal on me, Princess. This isn't an official visit; I heard what happened earlier and wanted to make sure that you were all right. You'll be happy to know that Joslen won't be troubling you any longer."

She was visibly relieved. "I'm glad to hear that, but what concerns me more are the consequences that will surely happen."

"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling. "If I know Captain Dorani he'll find a better way to solve this. He's getting tired of the violence too. Anyway, I've been doing some first-hand observations of your people and practices. Your entertainment venues are quite similar to our own."

The Princess perked up. "Really? Where did you go?"

"I went to see a large-screen video projection... I believe you call it a movie." He named a film that was currently playing. "This particular movie was highly recommended by several people that I'd asked, and I enjoyed it."

"That's nice!" Serenity said happily. "I've seen it. My friends and I went..." The memory of the Inner Senshi threatened to bring on tears, but she cleared her throat and pushed it back. Now wasn't the time; she'd cry about it later.

"I was quite touched by the end of the show," Soldeen admitted.

She was surprised. "I didn't realize you were that sensitive. The last time I was so moved by a show was the time I watched a holovid of a play called 'Les Miserables'."

"Actually, it wasn't so much the ending, it was that someone I cared for... very much... wasn't there." He hesitantly took her hand.

His skin was warm. A mysterious current passed through their joined hands. "Soldeen..." Words failed her as he leaned down to kiss her lips gently. Something inside her gave way, letting loose a flood of emotions unlike any she had experienced before. What was happening? She hardly knew this man and yet...

He straightened up and gazed into her eyes. "Princess," he whispered, "What have you done to me? Since I first laid eyes on you I've been wanting to do that."

"I don't know," she said, her voice cracking since her throat had suddenly gone dry. She swallowed and let his hand go. "Thank you for the compliment. I hope this clandestine visit of yours won't get you into too much trouble."

"I'll deal with that." He smiled gently. "You just do what you need to do." He stepped back, saluted her, and teleported away.


	8. Chapter 8

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Eight: A Plot Exposed

Everything was shaking. Was it an earthquake? Serenity opened her eyes reluctantly and saw a very weary Sailor Chronos standing over her. "Lia-chan? What's going on?" She rubbed her eyes to clear her blurred vision.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Serenity, but this is important. Get dressed, the others are waiting outside."

Once they were all assembled in the front yard, Chronos told her story. "Bad news. Our would-be assassin suicided before any information could be obtained. He had a cyanide capsule that the police didn't find in their initial search for weapons. However, they did look up his file and discovered that he was none other than Santoro Adeki."

"I know him... or rather, knew," Kurisu said sadly. "He was a fine Knight, until the war in which Neo-Queen Serenity exiled Prince Diamond and his people. Santoro-san had been offered more power in exchange for betraying the royal family. Fortunately his treachery was discovered and he was imprisoned after having his Knight abilities suppressed."

"How awful!" Bess said. "Having one's magical powers removed is quite traumatic." The other three nodded gravely, having experienced it themselves.

Serenity's lingering sleepiness was banished by anger. "He would have been the perfect person too, since he had a grudge against Mother."

"The question is, who sprung him?" asked June.

"Fortunately, that's been determined," Chronos said. "Santoro's prison records were traced and we were able to find out that he was visited several times in the past week by Counsellor Mikasa."

"He's one of Seiki-san's allies," Serenity said. "I remember him from the Council meeting." She yawned. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost dawn." Sera yawned as well. "The dawn of a day that could change our world."

"Let's not get too negative, we don't need it," Chronos admonished. "Anyway, after seeing all this, I think we're looking at more than just a few corrupt Senators. First, Mikasa-san enlisted Santoro-san to do the dirty work, and being a Senator, the prison officials didn't think to question his presence in the facility. Either that, or someone was bribed to look the other way. Second, the gun that was used is a model that's restricted for the use of military personnel, which means that someone in the military had to provide it. Third, nobody should have known where we were going at that particular time because it was a spur of the moment decision and the authorities weren't informed as is normally done when the Princess goes out."

The Senshi gasped. "That means..." Serenity whispered.

Chronos nodded. "Someone has been monitoring our conversations. This house may no longer be safe."

Kurisu shook his head. "Impossible. Nobody other than us has been here in the past week. The alarm system would have been set off if anyone else tried to get in."

A bell jingled and Diana leapt onto Serenity's shoulders. Before the Princess could ask her advisor where she had been, the cat spoke urgently. "Did any one of you bring something out of the military base yesterday? That could be the answer."

Silently Bess re-entered the house and soon returned with one of the tiny circuit boards that had come from a Cyberoid. Kurisu took it and crushed it under his heel. "That takes care of that."

"I had wanted to see for myself how it worked," she said sheepishly. "It never occurred to me that it could have been bugged. I'm responsible." She hung her head.

"Don't worry, Bess, it wasn't your fault," said Sera, patting her teammate's shoulder. "Now that has been dealt with, what's next?"

"It's becoming clear that we can't trust very many people," June noted. "I wouldn't be surprised if Kasamoto-san was in on this too."

They all stared at each other. "For once, your mistrust of everything has come in handy," Chronos said approvingly.

Serenity's heart sank. "If that's true, we're all in danger. He'll know that I'm alive, and he'll have found out your civilian identities."

"That doesn't make a difference now anyway," Tara said with a shrug.

The Princess gasped, an expression of horror forming on her face. "Oh, God... Commander Soldeen was here. We know that it was just a social call, but whoever was listening in may not have realized that. All that Kasamoto-san needs is an excuse to use force against the Syrollans, and now he has one!"

Diana spoke up. "It gets worse. I've been informed that the Syrollan captain has taken it upon himself to attend matters personally. His shuttle is due to arrive any time."

"If Kasamoto-san shoots him down, it'll be war!" Sera cried.

Chronos regarded the Senshi and the Princess. "You girls, transform and head over to the base. Stop them any way you can. Kurisu and I will call an emergency Council session."

"But only a member of the royal family can do that!" Serenity protested.

"Under normal circumstances. As the oldest surviving Senshi, I have the right. Go on! I hope we're not too late."

* * *

"Sir, pardon me for waking you, but you'll want to see this."

"What is it, Lieutenant?" The colonel pulled on his uniform jacket as he strode into the control room.

"A large object appears to be falling toward us. Sensors don't detect it at all, but the weather satellite registers the disturbance in the atmosphere. By the size I'd say it's a ship-to-surface shuttle."

"How interesting." He rubbed his chin absently. "Perhaps it's someone important who prefers not to risk his molecules in a teleporter. Excellent! Now we have our chance to strike back. Bring it down!"

"That'll be difficult, sir. It's impossible to get a radar lock."

"Target it manually if you have to, but I want that shuttle destroyed!" he ordered as went to a console and typed out a code.

The lieutanant gulped, plainly nervous. "Yes sir. Manual targeting. Commencing countdown. Launch in two minutes."

* * *

"So that's the situation. Any last words?" the caller joked.

"Remind me to congratulate you when this is over," Seiki said. "Just make sure you get out of this in one piece."

He rubbed his hands together with glee when he put the holo-ball away. This was an unexpected bonus. It no longer mattered what the Princess did; soon the military could do their job and the city would be safe. The Council would have to concede that he had been right, then he and his allies could take power. But just in case, he would retreat to his personal underground hideaway, which he had installed after the war with the Black Moon. He could still triumph even if the Syrollans wiped the city off the map.

* * *

Five Senshi ran through the streets in the direction of the base.

"We're not going to make it on foot!" Juno cried. "It's too far!"

Sailor Moon stopped, an idea forming. "Have you all had any experience with teleporting?"

The others halted and stared at her. "Yes, but..."

"No time for buts!" She held out her hands. They formed a circle, and she focused her mind on their objective. "SAILOR TELEPORT!" A transparent bubble formed around them and the street faded out.

Abruptly they were standing in the control room of the base, startling the colonel and the other officers. "What is the meaning of this unauthorized intrusion?" Kasamoto demanded.

"Stop right now!" Sailor Moon ordered. "This action will lead to war, and if more lives are lost, I won't forgive you!"

"You're too late, Sailor Senshi!" he gloated.

An alarm blared; outside there was a roar as a missile ignited. A computer voice cut through the din, "We have a manual launch. Target locked, auto-destruct inactive. Estimated time to impact, five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Vesta asked, puzzled. "Any shuttle could avoid a manually-controlled missile in that amount of time."

"You're mistaken, my dear," Kasamoto said, plainly smug. "A shuttle on an atmospheric descent must maintain a certain speed and angle of approach or it will burn up. Avoiding an attack would be next to impossible, even with the most skilled pilot."

"Then we'll have to destroy the missile," Ceres said grimly as she studied a readout of the trajectory.

The colonel and another officer laughed. "And how do you propose to do that?"

Pallas looked aghast. "You don't mean..."

"She does," Sailor Moon said with finality. Her knees were shaking; she had only taken part in a Sailor Planet Attack once, but knew how it worked. This was a very long shot but it was the only one they had. "Let's do it. Ceres, you lead."

Ceres nodded as she linked hands with the others. They all closed their eyes and concentrated. "SAILOR TELEPORT!"


	9. Chapter 9

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Nine: Delicate Balance

Journal, July 2nd 2917  
None of the Council members liked to get rousted out of bed so early but I felt that we had little choice. The only ones to not respond to the summons were, predictably, Seiki, Mikasa, and Takeshi. As much as I'd love to set the police on them, there's isn't enough substantial evidence to prove they are plotting sedition. However, I will...

An emergency news broadcast on her holo-ball made Chronos look up from her furious scribbling.

"This is Gurio Hikaru with the Crystal Tokyo News Service. A few moments ago, an explosion was detected in the atmosphere above Crystal

Tokyo. Witnesses report that a surface-to-air missile was launched from the military compound, but the commanding officer, Colonel Kasamoto, has denied it. An investigation is underway, and we have been assured that there is no danger to the population..."

Immediately she sprang to her feet, knocking over the chair, and activated her wrist communicator. "Sailor Moon! Ceres! Vesta! Pallas! Juno! Do you read me?"

There was no response.

With a terrible sinking feeling she realized what must have happened, and had to grab on to the edge of the desk to stop herself from collapsing. They had to be all right. All those years of training and preparation... but nobody could ever be prepared for the unexpected.

"They'll be fine." Kurisu had silently walked up behind her, and now took her in his arms. "We've been through worse."

"Alyssa-san, Kurisu-san," came a meek voice, and Diana peered around the doorframe. "The Council is assembled." She bowed her head. "I assume you heard the news. I don't like having to do this as much as you do, but it's necessary."

Chronos released her mate and nodded briskly. "It's more than time, anyway. We have to make things at least a little easier for our Princess."

* * *

"This is an outrage!" hollered Kasamoto, only to have his arms restrained by the two Knights flanking him.

"Colonel, you are ordered to be silent or be charged with contempt." The Speaker's voice held no trace of emotion. "Evidence has been brought forward that you and others have conspired to commit treason, as well as an attempted assassination of a Syrollan delegation."

There were astonished exclamations. "Should this not be a military concern?" called a councillor.

"Ordinarily yes, but in the absence of a superior officer..." He paused, reminding everyone that General Hayashi had still not been found, "...the Council undertakes the duty. The report reads as follows."

Chronos had a good idea of what had taken place in the base's control room, but listened anyway, her heart pounding.

"At four thirty-five AM today, a large atmospheric disturbance was recorded by the weather satellite, a size consistent with the dimensions of a personal shuttle. The commanding officer was summoned and queried for a course of action. At four forty-four a surface to air missile was armed and placed on a two-minute countdown. The only person who could authorize such was the commanding officer."

The mood of the Council grew more agitated as the Speaker continued, and Kasamoto began to fidget, a scowl on his face. It was obvious that he wanted to throttle whoever had leaked the report. "Four forty-five, the Sailor Senshi appeared and confronted the Colonel, and a brief argument followed. Four forty-six, the missile was launched to intercept the disturbance's calculated trajectory. The Sailor Senshi teleported away with the intention of destroying it. At four-fifty the missile was destroyed, even though its self-destruct mechanism had been deactivated. The code required for this is only known to the commanding officer." He put the report down as the house erupted, and had to ring the session bell several times in order to quiet everyone to a manageable level.

"It seems that the Senshi were successful in averting tragedy, but they have yet to reappear," said a minister in one of the upper tiers. "Are they now considered among the missing?"

Chronos had expected this question and stood. "No, honorable minister. There is a search in progress now." She knew that calculations had been done to determine where they might have fallen, and a rescue team dispatched to the area. "I know they are not dead." That much was true, at least; she would have felt it.

"And where is Princess Serenity?" another asked.

That hit her like a blow to the stomach. Only she, Kurisu and the other Senshi knew that Princess Serenity was Sailor Moon. She would have to make something up. "The Princess was unable to attend this meeting," she began.

A few protests were voiced but the Speaker quelled them. "Understandable, the stress of losing her parents so suddenly must be terribly hard on her. Do you speak on her behalf, Sailor Chronos?"

"Yes, I do." It was an effort to not show her relief.

"Then what is your suggestion for sentencing?"

Kasamoto went red. "Am I not to get a proper trial? You are making assumptions based on evidence which-"

"Desperate times require desperate measures," the Speaker interrupted. "We have no time for one at present. Remove the Colonel at once," he instructed the Knights. "If he cannot display proper behaviour in Council then he shall have plenty of time to debate with himself." He waited until the disgraced officer was half-dragged from the chamber before turning back to Chronos.

She frowned. "In old times, the penalty for treason was death. However, it is likely that he was responsible for General Hayashi's disappearance and we need him to supply information on the General's whereabouts. Imprisonment is the best solution for the moment."

The motion was tabled and voted on, with a unanimous result. Chronos knew that the officer that would replace Kasamoto was trustworthy, since Shingo had suggested him.

The three councillors who had not attended the meeting were suspended, as it was compulsory for all house members to be present at an emergency session. That wouldn't solve anything but it would make things more difficult for them to carry out their plans now that they no longer had as much political clout. Also, according to the chief of police, warrants had been written for Seiki's and Mikasa's arrests since records from various sources had been enough to implicate them.

"You still look worried," Diana said after the Speaker had declared a recess.

She sighed. "We've only removed one piece from the game. There are several others, any of which can cause any number of problems before we catch up to them."

Kurisu squeezed her shoulder. "We'll deal with those as they present themselves. If we pressure them now they'll go into hiding or find other ways to accomplish their goals. We can't be hasty."

After listening to her collar radio for a moment, Diana glanced up sadly. "I just got a report from the rescue team. They can't find any trace of the Senshi. I can't help but think that..." Her voice cracked.

"They aren't dead," Chronos insisted.

"Then what has happened?" asked Kurisu, somewhat at a loss.

"That," said a new voice, "is what I would like to know." Ignoring the clamour from the councillors remaining in the chamber, a tall blue-cloaked figure approached her, escorted by two Syrollan soldiers. A hood obscured most of his face. "I have been informed that you are in charge, in the unfortunate absence of Princess Serenity?"

"Yes. I am Sailor Chronos, and this is Sir Knight Kurisu." They both bowed and Chronos extended her hand. The man followed suit, and shook her hand firmly. "I am Captain Dorani of the Syrollan Empire flagship 'Wraith'."

Some of her weariness dissipated. "I have heard much good of you, Captain. The Princess described you as a reasonable man. Perhaps we can come to an agreement on the present situation." She signaled for him to be seated, barely noticing Diana slinking away.

"Before that can be done, I wish to know how my shuttle was detected and why it was fired upon."

Chronos explained, and added that the person responsible had been punished. "The Sailor Senshi intercepted the missile and destroyed it. They saved you because they hoped it would avert more conflict."

He thawed somewhat and looked her over, as if appraising her. "The Sailor Senshi, of which you obviously are one, seem to be devoted to protecting this planet at all costs. I admire that, but I as much as I may want to, I can't disobey orders. The Syrollan presence must be established by tonight." He handed her a readout of the plans for the partly-finished bunker. "Be warned that I am prepared to use force if necessary."

"You have made that clear, sir. The best I can do right now though, is to suggest an alternate site. I can't reopen negotiations without the approval of the Princess."

"Hmm, yes... and where is the lovely Serenity? I had thought she would be here."

"She is indisposed at the moment."

He grumbled under his breath. "Everyone is indisposed, it seems. Well, Sailor Chronos, we are at an impasse. We are both bound by our duties, yet because of those same duties we're unable to find a solution that will be acceptable by all concerned."

"True, but we must have faith that all will come right in the end," said Kurisu. "Captain, if you have the time, I invite you to join us at our home for a meal. It will be a few hours before the Council reconvenes."

"You are most gracious, Sir Knight."

* * *

"Grey to Blue! Grey to Blue! Do not proceed, do you hear me? I think your Captain may be coming around of his own accord."

"We knew that already, but the threat must be neutralized now. I'll contact you again when everything is under control."


	10. Chapter 10

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Ten: Descent into Despair

Sailor Moon sighed softly. Her entire body was aching; her arms most of all, as she was suspended from her wrists by a pair of ceramic manacles. "Ceres..?" She was barely able to manage a whisper, and cleared her throat. "Pallas?"

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauties." Pallas's attempt at humor elicited tired groans from the rest of them. "Hmph. Never thought I'd end up being trussed up like a turkey."

"That's because you behave like one half the time," Juno grumbled, yanking at her restraints. The sound echoed off the metal walls.

"At least I'm not a prickly pear like you," was the retort. Sailor Moon realized that from the tone of her voice, this was old banter.

"Enough," came Ceres's voice from the left. "Okay, so we're all here. Does anyone remember what happened?"

Vesta coughed before attempting to speak. "It happened pretty quickly. Let's see... our teleport bubble faded out after we destroyed the missile. We weren't as focused as we should have been."

"Or we just didn't use our energies efficiently," said Ceres.

"We were falling," Moon recalled. "Then suddenly we weren't in the sky any more, but in a room."

"This room," Juno said. "Someone must have teleported us here."

"Only we hit the floor at the same velocity as we would have if we had hit the ground," Ceres continued. "It seems that the Syrollan teleport device does not compensate for momentum."

Vesta kicked out and tried to find some footing but her toes were dangling a few centimetres off the floor. "We were probably knocked out instantly. Then they came and shackled us up."

Sailor Moon looked around as far as her sore neck would allow. The five of them were being held in a bare room. There were a few other sets of shackles and a bench or two, and a heavy airlock-style door on the opposite wall from where they were. "What I can't figure out is why. We saved their Captain, didn't we?"

Abruptly the door hissed open, and the rotund figure of Second Commander Joslen appeared, grinning. "I hope you ladies are comfortable?"

"I must protest," Ceres said sharply. "We are the official envoys of Crystal Tokyo. This treatment is barbaric!"

"Don't bother," Juno sighed. "I'll bet he just came to gloat."

"Good guess," Joslen said. "I suppose I should thank you for rescuing Dorani and allowing him to continue on his so-called diplomatic mission, but you see, there are those of us that would prefer that the people of this planet would bow down before us like nice little subjects, like the rest of the planets that we occupy have."

"We will never submit to you!" Moon cried.

Vesta scowled angrily. "If you want a war, then you'll get one."

The commander laughed heartily. "Your missile weapons and so-called magic are no match for us. We have the capability of wiping out cities." He turned to leave.

"Don't underestimate us!" Ceres called after him.

"Brave words from someone in your position," Joslen said. "I suggest you make yourselves at home. There are going to be a few changes around here soon, and I regret to say that you aren't included." The door slid shut.

"So much for that." Pallas was resigned. "He didn't even offer us breakfast."

Sailor Moon groaned in exasperation. "Don't remind me of food now!"

In an impressive display of agility, Juno swung her legs up and used her feet to hold onto the chains that she was suspended from, giving her arms some slack and enabling her to examine the manacles more closely. "It looks like ceramic, but whatever this stuff is, it's as strong as steel." She let herself down again. "If one of you could get enough slack so you could use your arms? Then you could blast the chain."

"That's a good idea," Vesta said, and tried the same maneuver without much success. "Drat, I'm not as agile as you. Even if one of us could, there's no guarantee that our powers would affect it."

"I wish that Tuxedo Kamen would show up and get us out of this," Moon said to herself softly.

"He won't, and wishing won't make it so," Ceres admonished.

"And don't expect your boyfriend to come charging to our rescue either," said Juno bluntly. "He likely won't even know that we're here. Which reminds me, we need to talk to you about him."

Vesta paled. "This isn't the time for that, Juno!"

"Do you have something against Soldeen?" Sailor Moon demanded. "If that's true, I should know about it."

Ceres sighed. "It's obvious to us that you're smitten with him. Think carefully before you get involved. A relationship between the two of you won't be the best thing right now."

Moon shook her head. "But when he's with me I feel that it's... right, somehow. Like destiny or something."

"What do you know about destiny?" Juno exploded.

"More than you!"

Vesta cut in. "We just don't want to see you wasting your time. Are you forgetting that we may at war soon?"

"No! But what can be so wrong about finding some happiness in the middle of such hard times?"

"This isn't about happiness, it's about your duty as Princess," said Ceres reasonably. "Just think about it."

Sailor Moon opened her mouth to reply but Pallas was quicker. "Hey, everyone, chill out! We have to find a way to get out of this!" As if on cue, weapons fire sounded from other side of the door. They all were silenced briefly.

Vesta gulped. "Joslen wasn't kidding. Sounds to me like there's a mutiny in progress!"

"Whatever it is, that's not our concern," said Ceres.

Moon sniffed, on the point of tears, and launched into a tirade. "I can't stand having to be concerned with everything any more. I've lost my mother, my father and my best friends. Lia-chan has been trying to help, but all you guys seem to be trying to do is stop me from doing what I believe is best!"

"For heaven's sake!" Juno shouted.

"STOP IT!" she screamed back, and the gems in her hair flared, emitting a powerful sonic pulse that shattered all the chains and manacles. The five of them dropped to the floor.

There was a moment of silence, occasionally punctuated by sounds of distant clashes. "Sound off..." Pallas whispered. The others stared at their leader, uncomprehending.

Sailor Moon got stiffly to her feet, smiling ruefully now. "I thought I could do it if I let myself get upset enough. Let's get out of here."

* * *

Soldeen was on the bridge when the report came that fighting had broken out on the lower decks. "There's a missive from a group calling itself the War Front, saying that they intend to take over and begin an all-out invasion as we should have done from the beginning." The officer reading the data module sounded badly shaken.

"Thank the Light that the Captain isn't here," the Second said with relief. "I hereby issue a Command Code Two. Secure the bridge!" Heavy blast doors slid into place across the exit. Then he turned and sighed. "First Commander, you should teleport out of here. With the Captain absent, you'll be the first person they'll kill if they get in. Don't worry about us; in such a situation, we're expendable."

"What about the others?" Soldeen asked him in a low voice.

The Second shook his head. "They know what to do."

With a sigh, Soldeen activated the transponder on his belt. He knew where he had to go now.

* * *

When the Senshi returned to Earth, Serenity took the first opportunity she had to separate herself from the others and high-tail it to the Syrollan bunker. For some reason she felt that she needed to be there. The Senshi could explain what had happened just as well as she could, plus she wanted to be alone for a while.

When she reached the bunker, however, someone was there: Soldeen. Apparently he had been waiting for her, since he approached her with a broad smile. "Serenity! You've no idea how happy I am to see you. Every time I think about you, I care for you more. I feel a need to see you and touch you; perhaps to convince myself that you're real."

It took quite an effort to not hug him; this was going to be more difficult than she had thought. "We need to talk about that, Soldeen," she said in a low voice.

He regarded her sagely. "This sounds serious."

"It is." She took a slow, deep breath, dreading what his reaction might be. "I have to tell you that we can't see each other any more. Our peoples are at war and-"

Soldeen interrupted her angrily. "The Senshi put you up to this, didn't they?"

"No, they only offered me advice. This is my decision; besides, the the ruler shouldn't become involved with an outsider. The last time that happened, the consequences were dire indeed." She glanced down at the road as she remembered the story.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, a look of deep hurt on his face. "Serenity, how can you say that? How can you stand there and be so... regal... when you feel this?" He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

Serenity's heart raced. Overwhelmed by emotion, she closed her eyes and reached up to hold his shoulders in order to keep her balance. Soldeen was right. How could she give him up when she cared- no, loved him so much? Now she understood what her mother must have felt when she had first fallen for Prince Endymion back in the Moon Kingdom. Love was truly a powerful thing, especially when it felt so... right.

They broke the kiss and smiled at each other. Then Serenity abruptly noticed her guardians approaching and disengaged herself from his embrace. "Oh no..."

"Stay away from the Princess!" Ceres said severely without any preamble, punctuating her words with a pointed finger. "She is not for you."

"Hey, take it easy," Soldeen said, raising his hands in apology. "Don't you think I've thought about that? She's too special to me to-"

"Save it!" Juno snarled.

Pallas sighed, a little sadly. "I don't know about your people, but with us, it's customary for at least a year to pass before a relationship can be formally recognized."

"What you're doing is wrong and it cannot continue," Vesta stated pointedly. "We want you out of Princess Serenity's life."

Serenity was struck dumb at the vehemence with which her Senshi spoke. Faced with such opposition, Soldeen could only stare at the ground, speechless as well. After a few moments he sighed and began to walk away.

Furious, the Princess finally found her tongue. "How DARE you! What right have you to interfere?"

"The same right that Chronos and Mara had to interfere with your mother's relationship with Endymion!" Vesta informed her.

"Like that got anywhere," Pallas said with a slight smile. "We wouldn't be here today if they had been successful."

"I don't need this!" Serenity exclaimed in disgust and strode off in the direction that Soldeen had gone.

The Senshi followed. "Do you have no respect for your position?" asked Ceres. "You are royal; he is not. And by spending time with him, you're sending a conflicting message to everyone. Do you want people to think that you're... what's that archaic term?"

"Fraternizing with the enemy," Pallas supplied.

"I AM NOT!" Serenity shouted, stopping and whirling to face them. "You've never been in love, have you? You don't know how it feels to have your heart soar and your body burn when you're with someone..." She fought back tears. "I want to be with him. If that's wrong, then how can I ever expect to be happy?"

Vesta put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "Princess, please try to understand, we're just doing our job. It's the duty of the Senshi to protect the Princess and her Kingdom."

"If you can't accept that, then perhaps you should relinquish your authority," Juno suggested with a grim expression. "That might be better for all concerned."

"You're just enjoying the sight of me suffering," Serenity grated out. "I can't give him up and I won't be forced to. Not by you, not by anyone. Now get out of my way!" She took a few steps forward but the others kept pace. Up ahead she could see Soldeen standing next to a tree, watching, and she desperately wanted to speak to him before he decided to teleport back to his ship. "I said... GO AWAY!" The crescent moon on her forehead flared, startling them, giving her the chance she needed to run toward him.

He gazed down at her with a forlorn look, saying nothing. Hoping to reassure him, she took his hand and held it tightly. "It'll be all right. Please don't worry."

Nodding, he said quietly, "I had hoped that it wouldn't happen this way; I never wanted to come between you and your duty. You take care of yourself."

"Will we ever see each other again?"

"That's up to you," he replied as he removed his hand from hers reluctantly. "I love you, Serenity. I believe in you, and I'm sure that we will be together someday." Taking a few steps back, he activated his teleport device and was gone.

"Princess-" Ceres began.

She wasn't going to listen to them now. "Leave me alone," she whispered and ran down the street, feeling like part of her soul had vanished along with Soldeen. Why did life have to be so difficult? She was only fifteen, she shouldn't have to be forced to grow up so quickly. Unfortunately she had no control over that, she could only deal with it as best she could.


	11. Chapter 11

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Eleven: Chaotic Good

"This has gone far enough! We have to make a move now!" Seiki had been livid when he heard on his private news channel that he and his two co-conspirators had been suspended from the Council, even though he had expected it to happen eventually.

Mikasa wasn't in a much better mood. "Kasamoto-san was a fool to allow himself to be arrested, and Santoro-san had to do the 'honourable' thing and commit hara-kiri. Now we don't even have the military connection."

"We do still have a bargaining chip," said Takeshi slowly, "although how much use that would be is anyone's guess."

Seiki grinned slyly. "I still have a trick or two left. Listen..."

* * *

Third Commander Conja was giving her subordinates a last-minute briefing when several armed crew members suddenly burst through the door. Before anyone could react, green vapour started to pour into the room through the ventilation ducts. "Everybody out!" she yelled as people began to cough and gasp for breath. Holding her own breath, she dove past the would-be captors into the corridor only to see more of the noxious gas wafting through.

Thinking quickly, she ran a little way down the hall, realizing that the others were in no shape to follow her and she was on her own. She yanked a panel out of a bulkhead to reveal a narrow passageway, and crawled in.

Her lungs were burning and clamouring for air by the time she reached the next section and sealed herself in, so she rested for a few moments, breathing hard. She had expected a firefight, but not devious tactics like this! Well, if they were going to get underhanded then she had a few surprises up her sleeve.

* * *

Captain Dorani, Kurisu and Chronos were enjoying a cup of tea after a hearty breakfast that Chronos had prepared when one of Dorani's aides entered the room. The look on the man's face prompted them all to stand. "What has happened?" Dorani asked.

"Sir, I've just received an emergency communication from your Second. There is a mutiny in progress aboard ship, apparently led by Second Commander Joslen."

They all exclaimed in horror. "Impossible!" Dorani swore in his native language. "Unprecedented!" He began to pace about the room, then stopped and stared out a window. "I must return."

"I don't think that would be a good idea," said Chronos gently. "Obviously they took advantage of the fact that you're here. If you were to return now, you'd be putting yourself as well as any crew members still loyal to you in more danger."

"True, but I can't stand here and do nothing," the Captain grumbled.

Kurisu put a hand on the man's shoulder. "We don't like having to wait either, but we have to trust our colleagues to know what they're doing."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," came a voice.

Chronos spun around to see four tired Senshi make their way into the room. "Girls, you're okay!" She hugged each in turn. "I knew you'd make it! What happened?"

Vesta sighed. "After we took out the missile, we were captured by Commander Joslen."

"Him again!" snorted Dorani. "He has been trouble since this all started. I should have put him in the brig."

"We were able to escape after the fight started and we teleported back here," Ceres continued.

Kurisu frowned and looked about. "Where is the princess?"

The Senshi looked at one another. "Uh..."

Chronos glared at them. "She's not with you? I thought I told you to stay with her!"

"She ordered us to leave her alone," Pallas said quietly.

"Ordered? What's going on here?" When none of the girls answered right away, she stepped forward angrily. "Well?"

Reluctantly, Ceres spoke. "When we got back she ran off and it took us a little while to find her. She was at the Palace site with Commander Soldeen."

"I'm not surprised," Dorani began, but Vesta raised a hand.

"I think their meeting was just coincidence this time. Perhaps she needed the solace by going there, and he could have been there because he had escaped the mutiny. Anyway, we told them that they shouldn't see each other any more because of the circumstances. He teleported and she told us to leave her alone and ran away again."

"Which is just like her," Juno added. "She can't keep running forever."

"That's beside the point!" Chronos was furious. "She shouldn't be out there alone. Find her- no, you're exhausted," she amended, waving her hand. "I'll find her myself. I can understand how she's feeling right now and I should talk to her." She headed for the door.

"This is a big city!" Pallas called after her. "How can you-"

"I have an idea," Chronos said. "Captain Dorani, if you wish to return to your ship, we cannot stop you, but..."

"I'm aware of the risks," was the grim reply.

"I'd like to accompany you," Kurisu offered. "I think you could use the extra help."

Dorani looked somewhat relieved. "That would be appreciated."

* * *

The main doors to the bridge were smoking; the mutineers were attempting to blast their way in. A subordinate had reported loss of communications with the lower decks, and the Second was becoming increasingly nervous. "Get me workstation number ten-eight!"

"No response."

"Environmental readouts show high levels of sevechen on decks twelve through twenty," a science officer said.

"By the Light!" exclaimed the Second. "If they planned to gas the crew, that's the worst stuff they could have used! Flush the system and get medical teams down there if you can." An explosion buckled the doors but they held. "Good thing the bridge's air supply is independent from the rest of the ship. I just hope we can hold out here. Arm yourselves!"

As the bridge officers took up weapons, the speakers crackled. "Why don't you just give up, Kavir?" The name was spoken in an insulting tone. "You can't keep us out forever!"

"Blast him, he's tapped into the comm system," the Second muttered. "I can very well try!" he hollered back. "You won't win that easily, Joslen! We can handle traitors like you!"

Laughter. "If anyone is a traitor, it's that fool Dorani. And you're as much of a fool for following him! You should have had that pesky planet subdued by now. When the War Front takes over, that's precisely what we're going to do!" Another blast hit the doors and they crumpled further.

* * *

Serenity sat down on the grassy bluff and began to cry. The events of the past two days had taken their toll; she felt that there was nothing more she could do. Let the others handle it, they were much more knowledgeable than she was in such things.

Her gaze swung bleakly across the cityscape, and she tried not to look at the empty place where her home had been. As far as she was concerned right now, Crystal Tokyo could cease to exist and it wouldn't matter. Almost everything else that she loved was already gone, and she was tired of fighting.

"How long are you going to sit here feeling sorry for yourself?"

She didn't need to look. "Lia-chan. How did you know I was here?"

Chronos sat down beside her and smiled. "Silly. You used to come up here for walks all the time. I know you're taking this hard. We all are. Just because we're older than you doesn't make it any easier."

"I know that, but it's just not fair! Why do I have to carry all the responsibility? Mother didn't when she was young!"

"That's not true, she actually had far more than you think. She just didn't see it as such because she was accustomed to it. Being a royal heir was a calling, not a burden. It's a shame that she didn't take as much time as she should have to talk to you about it. Perhaps she saw in you the carefree child that she could have been."

"That makes sense," Serenity said with sarcasm, "because she had you train Senshi to protect me, as if I couldn't take care of myself!"

"She wanted them to be your friends, as her Senshi were hers. Unfortunately the Syrollans showed up before we had a chance to introduce you properly. Please don't be so hard on them."

The Princess sighed. "I seem to be following in Mother's footsteps, all right. A crisis comes up, I find my true love despite all opposition, an enemy threatens to destroy us. What's next? Do Soldeen and I have to die too?" She laughed ruefully. "Listen to me, I'm starting to sound like Usagi in the twentieth century!"

Chronos hugged her. "You are more like her than you want to admit, I think. You both have a great strength in you. It'll get you through, no matter what." She stood. "As for Soldeen, if you believe that a relationship with him will make you happy, go for it."

"But Ceres said-"

"Since when have you allowed others to dictate your actions?" her friend reminded her. "You're the ruler, sometimes you can change the rules if they don't suit you." Chronos winked. "Now come on, let's get back. We have to finish this, the sooner the better."

"But what else can I do?"

"Just be yourself. Everything else will work out."

* * *

The heavy doors, while strong, could not hold up much longer under the assault. Swallowing hard, Kavir decided to keep Joslen talking. At least that would be a little bit of a delay. "The Captain has his reasons for decisions, and it's not an underling's job to question!"

"Interesting choice of words," came the retort. "You'll be less than an underling when I get through with you! You'll be nothing!"

There was a loud clang as something metallic hit the door from the other side, followed by curses and coughing. Within a few seconds there was silence.

"I wouldn't open that door right now if I were you," a female voice came over the speakers. "There's enough parazine in the access corridor to put a whole unit to sleep."

Several of the men cheered and Kavir sighed in relief. "Conja, is that you? Where's the rest of your team?"

"Unconscious. We were ambushed, and I was the only one able to make it off that deck before it was gassed. The War Front is ruthless; they took out a bunch of their own people just to get us."

"Where are you now?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you since the comm system has been compromised. There are still a few renegades running around loose, but I'll do what I can. You just hold the bridge until the Captain gets back."

"Sir!" called an officer. "Speaking of the Captain, a shuttle on a docking approach has just decloaked. Sensors indicate four life-forms aboard: three Syrollan, one human."

"It must be him, and it seems he's bringing a guest. He's not going to like this one bit," Kavir noted as he turned to another crewman. "Make the necessary preparations."


	12. Chapter 12

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Twelve: Revelations

"Blue to Grey. Blue to Grey! Can you hear me?"

"Yes. What's your situation? I was getting concerned."

"It was bad for a while, but thanks to some good luck I think we can take care of things a bit more easily now. Stand by."

* * *

"All rise!" The Speaker rang the bell on the podium in front of him and the Council rose as Princess Serenity and her guardians entered the chamber and took their seats. There was a general expression of relief when the ministers noticed that the Senshi had returned safely. "This emergency session of the Council is reconvened. The topic of discussion is measures which can be taken to avert conflict with the Syrollans. The Chair recognizes Sailor Chronos."

Chronos stood. "To recap the situation: the Crystal Palace was destroyed and an unauthorized structure is being built in its place. Our military's senior commander disappeared and his replacement attacked a Syrollan delegation. An assassination attempt was made against Princess Serenity, and three Council members are suspended under suspicion of treason. We are in a crisis, ladies and gentlemen, but one which our decisions today can rectify. I present Princess Serenity." She gestured to the Princess and reseated herself.

Amidst murmurs, Serenity got up and swallowed nervously. The speech that she had mentally rehearsed on the way here didn't seem adequate. "Honourable Ministers, Knights and Senshi. Despite all that has happened, we are still united. We need that unity to find peace." She paused before continuing; her next words were likely to upset people. "Having been informed of a private conference this morning between Sailor Chronos and Captain Dorani, I hereby authorize the removal of the Syrollan bunker from its current location and its reassembly in the Minato-ku Park."

At once several ministers stood and others voiced displeasure but their protests were quieted when the Princess raised her voice. "I have also appointed Sir Kurisu as diplomatic envoy, and he has returned to the Syrollan vessel with the Captain."

This statement stunned most of the assembly.

"Highness, aren't the royal Senshi the official envoys?" Vesta asked formally. "That was my understanding."

"That's true. Unfortunately, because the Senshi have been placed in a non-compromising situation, they can't be expected to remain neutral," Serenity replied. "I'm sorry. Sir Kurisu will be reporting to me directly and keeping me informed of-"

A sudden commotion from the floor startled her and she gulped, having lost her train of thought. Two Knights were trying to subdue a man who had entered the chamber without being properly admitted. It took her a moment to realize that it was one of the disgraced ministers.

The Speaker stood. "Takeshi-san, what is the meaning of this? You have been suspended from Council and are therefore no longer permitted to sit in this House!"

"I have important information concerning the whereabouts of General Hayashi!" Takeshi shouted.

"What?" Serenity's momentary confusion went unnoticed in the hubbub that followed. She got an idea as she waited a few moments for things to settle down. "Let him approach."

"You can't be serious, your Highness!" a minister called out, and others echoed the sentiment.

She realized that had to put her foot down in order to keep the Council's respect. "SILENCE!" she hollered, then said firmly, "Let's hear what he has to say. Approach, Takeshi-san."

He walked to the front of the chamber and bowed to her. "Thank you for allowing me to speak, Highness. As you probably suspect, Colonel Kasamoto was responsible for Hayashi-san's disappearance, in collaboration with Seiki Hirohito-san." He held up a silver disk. "This contains recordings of private holo-ball conversations, including the location where Hayashi-san is being held."

"How do we know that this information is accurate?" Chronos asked as she took the disk from him. "This could be a wild goose chase."

"I'm sorry," Takeshi said with some irritation, "but that's the best I could do without being discovered. Seiki and Mikasa believe that I'm still in with them, but I've had enough and I want an end to this mess as much as you do."

"Thank you," said the Princess gently. "If you wish we can provide an escort to a safe house."

"No," he demurred. "I have to go back or they'll get suspicious, and then you'll never find Hayashi-san. Don't worry about me." He bowed again and left as people began to talk quietly amongst themselves.

Juno sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing, Princess."

"Even if that info does turn out to be false, I wanted to give those corrupt men the impression that I'm gullible. That may cause them to be overconfident and give themselves away."

"That's a long shot, but I'm impressed that you thought ahead," Ceres complimented.

Serenity nodded, and gestured for the Speaker to restore order. She still had a meeting to finish.

* * *

When the shuttle finally completed its docking maneuvers and the landing bay pressurised, the four men debarked.

"It's too quiet," noted Dorani. "Normally there would be an honour guard, but I suspect that they're all occupied with the mutiny."

Kurisu looked around carefully. He didn't sense any immediate danger. "If I were to instigate a mutiny, the first thing I would do would be to capture the bridge and make certain the rest of the crew were no threat."

"Then we should assume that has already happened and that we're at a disadvantage." The Captain drew a weapon and moved toward a small door at one side of the bay, and his aides followed suit. "They'd have the main access under guard if they knew we were here. Even if they don't, it would be safer this way." He triggered the manual release, and the door hissed open.

One of the guards covered the passage while the rest of them made their way along, all the while watching for any sign of activity. Kurisu was beginning to think it strange that they hadn't encountered anyone when they came upon the first body. At once Dorani knelt and inspected the man. "He's alive, but barely." He grimaced and turned his head away for a moment. "Sevechen. I can smell residue on him. Those-!" He growled to himself. "We have to get him to the medbay."

"Sevechen?" Kurisu asked.

As an aide picked up the unconscious crew member, Dorani explained. "It's a gas that was once used to incapacitate large numbers of people in an enclosed area. Its use was banned a long time ago since it's highly toxic, and there are much safer substances now. Apparently someone managed to smuggle some on board." Sighing, he continued, "Only people with a personal air supply would escape the effects."

"I'm afraid that not many people had that luxury," the other aide said. "There are several more bodies down the corridor."

The Captain swore. "When I find who's responsible for this, I'll space them!"

Part of the ceiling suddenly exploded and sparks flew everywhere. The unencumbered guard took the brunt of the blast and fell. "You'll be the one who's spaced... SIR!" A team of five men armed with blaster rifles had appeared in the next junction.

"Stand down!" Dorani bellowed, aiming his own weapon. The blast had dislodged his hood, revealing long blond hair and a handsome countenance. "That's an order!"

The man laughed, although a little nervously, and the others looked uncertain as to what to do. "You don't give the orders around here any more! The War Front now controls this ship, and when we're finished with you we'll bombard the planet below into submission! We-" He was cut off as his rifle flew out of his hands, having been struck by a long-stemmed yellow flower. His compatriots were similarly disarmed in the next moment.

Dorani immediately stunned all five with quick bursts. "Never boast, it's irresponsible," he commented, then turned to Kurisu with an amazed expression. "You have magic also? Do all of the citizens of your planet possess such abilities?"

Kurisu chuckled. "No, they don't. There is the potential for it, and minor abilities have surfaced in rare cases, but only Sailor Senshi and Knights have the true power." He produced another flower with a flourish and handed it to the Captain, who inspected it closely. "Sundale. It's a flower native to my homeworld."

After making a show of putting the blossom on the chest of the lead mutineer, Dorani smiled. "Your people get more interesting all the time. Let's try to get to the bridge. We can't do much for these men right now."

* * *

Seiki was grinning when he opened the door. "Did your meeting go well? I'd be quite surprised if that girl didn't believe your performance."

"Naturally they were suspicious at first," Takeshi said smugly, "but the princess chose to believe it. She and her Senshi are all likely to be going to the place right now."

"Perfect," Mikasa drawled, and they laughed before settling down to a celebratory drink.

* * *

It turned out that the Senshi weren't needed to find General Hayashi. A team had been dispatched before the Council meeting adjourned, despite Serenity's overruling of Sailor Chronos' objection to her insistence that she personally attend, and the princess was angry.

"I am getting tired of being babied!" she said bluntly when the meeting was finally over and she, Diana and the five Senshi were alone. "You can go on all you like about 'dangerous' this and 'safety' that, but I want to have some involvement in this city's affairs instead of cowering behind walls!"

Pallas whistled. "Talk about an about-face."

"Perhaps you have a backbone after all," Juno grudgingly admitted. "But you're still the most important person on this planet and we have a duty to protect you."

"That's fine," Serenity acknowledged, "but protecting isn't the same as stifling. I've realized that I have been sheltered for most of my life, except for those times I visited the twentieth century. I've learned a lot since then, and I want to make my life my own, not a mirror image of my mother's. If any of you have a problem with that, now's the time to say so."

"You won't get any argument from me," Chronos said. "As long as you're willing to deal with life on your own terms, then you'll do a good job of it."

Vesta stared at Chronos uncomprehendingly. "Did I hear that right? Are you sure you're the same Chronos that protected the first Queen Serenity and told her daughter not to see Prince Endymion? I don't think that Chronos would say something like that."

Chronos laughed. "Almost two thousand years can change a person, you know. Also, the political situation back then was very different. Here we have an opportunity to create real peace throughout half this galaxy, and we shouldn't waste it."

"But the Senshi are warriors!" Juno protested.

Ceres tossed her hair impatiently. "The Senshi are guardians. There's a big difference." She turned to her liege. "Princess, when you become Queen and want to rule as you see fit, we will support you. For the moment, it would be wise to not rush into situations that put you or your ideals at risk."

"You don't have to be everywhere at once," Diana put in. "Trust us to handle things appropriately."

"All right," Serenity said, nodding. "But I still need to be kept informed. For example, where have you been? You are supposed to be my friend and advisor, but I've hardly seen you for the past two days."

The cat hesitated. "I have been helping coordinate the peace effort. You have had enough to worry about, so I thought I would-"

"You have been negotiating?" Serenity demanded, shocked that her advisor could be this duplicitous. "This is unheard of! Besides, the Syrollans won't listen to you; from what I have seen, they despise animals!"

"Not exactly. Captain Dorani told me that most refuse to believe that any lower life form is capable of having a comparable intelligence," Chronos explained.

"Still, you should have said something! I can't believe that you were all keeping this from me. And don't say it was for my own good!" She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Well, if you would be so kind as to tell me what progress has been made, I'll save the temper tantrums and the official reprimand until all this is over."

"Very well, your Highness," Diana agreed.


	13. Chapter 13

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeshi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Thirteen: The Best Laid Plans

Dorani and Kurisu had managed to reach the main access corridor to the bridge without any more interference. The Captain had replaced his hood, prompting Kurisu to inquire as to its significance.

"Traditionally, ship captains have worn hoods and cloaks to confuse any who oppose them. It's difficult to judge an enemy when you don't know what they look like."

"That's true," Kurisu acknowledged, "but surely your own crew..?"

"Very few of them have seen me unhooded. That's why those men we encountered earlier were so surprised. In more recent times the hood has become the symbol of authority. When the captain removes it, it means that he has been honourably defeated or has chosen to surrender. I, however, have not reached that point." He punched out a code on the control panel next to the door but it wouldn't open. "Code-locked from inside," he muttered. "Only someone with Command Code Two security or above can do that." He turned to Kurisu. "Either my Second initiated the lockdown himself or was forced to do so. We have no way of knowing if the regular bridge crew is still in control in there."

"How many people are we dealing with?"

The Captain frowned pensively. "There are six officers. Strike teams generally operate in groups of five, so if the bridge is occupied by mutineers, there will be at least ten. Not good odds."

"I think I could give an effective distraction," Kurisu suggested with a smile, arranging a few flowers in his hand.

* * *

After a much-needed late lunch and a rest, Serenity and her friends were discussing matters when a news bulletin came on the holo-ball.

"This is Gurio Hikaru of the Crystal Tokyo News Service, with a special report. A joint police and military strike force, acting on a anonymous tip, took over a building in the outskirts of the city earlier this afternoon. General Hayashi, missing for nearly forty-eight hours, was found alive and well, and the men holding him have been taken into custody. Sources have told us that the General refused to be taken to hospital for treatment, and instead was taken by helicopter to his private retreat outside the city. Speculation is rampant about the person or people behind the abduction, but nothing concrete is being publicised until all the evidence is examined..."

Alyssa waved a hand over the ball to turn it off. "It seems that the information we got was accurate after all."

"Now all we have to do is for the kidnappers to make a wrong move," said June, grinning as she examined her new staff.

The Senshi had been given new items. Thanks to Kurisu and the military's scientists, magic and Cyberoid technology had been combined to create items that would enhance their powers. Ceres had a scepter adorned with a rose, Juno had her staff back, Vesta had another scepter with flames engraved on it, and Pallas carried a short spear bearing a delicate design of wheat sheaves.

Serenity produced her Crystal Heart scepter. "I think we're ready for just about anything now."

* * *

"Anything that happens now can be easily dealt with." Mikasa sat down heavily, nearly spilling the drink that he held. "The Senshi should no longer be a problem."

Seiki glowered and took the glass away. "Don't get carried away yet. We still have other things to plan for. When the Syrollans come, we have to be prepared to take power."

"But what about Sailor Chronos?" Takeshi reminded them. "If anything happens to the Princess, she has the final say in whatever the Council does." Sarcasm tinged his voice. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was made Queen herself."

The other two laughed heartily. "That'll never happen. Chronos doesn't want leadership. She'll come around soon enough when she sees that she has no choice," Seiki said.

At that moment there was an explosion somewhere nearby, and the room shook. The three men leapt to their feet and stared at each other.

"What's going on?" Mikasa demanded. "Are the Syrollans attacking?"

Seiki was confident. "If they are, this bunker was built to withstand such assaults. Don't worry about it."

He was reconsidering those words a few moments later when the door to the room was blown apart and several men in military uniforms barged in, followed by police. "Freeze! You are under arrest!"

"TAKESHI!" Mikasa bellowed in fury. "Traitor! You told them!" He leaped at his former co-conspirator, who was barely able to dodge in time. He continued to rant as he was grabbed and handcuffed, but Seiki remained silent, barely controlled rage showing on his face.

"You are both under arrest for treason and conspiracy to commit murder," one of the officers intoned. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law..." The men began to file out with their captives.

"Am I not under arrest also?" Takeshi asked quietly.

"No, sir," came the reply. "Due to extenuating circumstances, Princess Serenity has granted you a pardon. Consider yourself fortunate; your two friends are going to be seeing the inside of a prison for a long time."

* * *

The bridge doors abruptly opened, but the tableau inside wasn't what either the Captain or Kurisu had been expecting. Five bound, unconscious men were lying on the floor and the bridge crew were going about their normal routine.

"Welcome aboard, Captain and guest." The Second approached and bowed. "I'm glad to see that you arrived safely." He held out his hand to Kurisu, who shook it. "I am Kavir, second in command."

"Report," said Dorani, all business. "I'm aware that you had a mutiny on board."

"That's correct, sir. One group attempted to gain access to the bridge but they were stopped by Third Commander Conja." He indicated the men on the floor, one of whom was Joslen. "I kept them here because I felt that you might want to see them when you returned."

"I did indeed," the Captain said appreciatively. "Place a commendation and rank promotion in Conja's record, effective immediately, and remove Joslen from our roster completely. He shall never serve in any military or civilian force again. Please continue."

Kavir nodded, suddenly looking a little embarrassed. "I apologize for the lack of protocol. Most of the crew is being treated for the effects of sevechen, so we were unable to assemble an honour guard to greet you."

Dorani waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "That's excusable, old friend. I'm going to put commendations in your record and in those of the rest of the bridge crew for their roles in this incident." He looked at the unconscious men with contempt. "Put them in the brig."

"Pardon me," Kurisu said as the mutineers were removed, "but since everything seems to be under control now, I should inform my allies on the surface."

"No need." The Second smiled and tapped some keys on a console. "Blue to Grey. We have a Code Green."

"Glad to hear it." Diana's unmistakable voice sounded from a speaker. "But now we're the ones with a problem. We've had Cyberoid sightings all over the city!"

* * *

Chaos reigned in the streets of Crystal Tokyo as squad upon squad of the robotic Cyberoids appeared and began to shoot at people and buildings indiscriminately. They seemed immune to the conventional weaponry that the police had, and unfortunately, many types of powerful weapons that were available in the twentieth century had been disposed of because they were no longer needed.

A contingent of Cyberoids was marching along one of the main avenues toward the parliamentary complex. However, six women stood in the way.

"This planet is under our protection! For you to come and destroy our peace is unforgiveable! I am the pretty Sailor-suited soldier, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon..."

"We will punish you!"

They scattered as the Cyberoids opened fire, and proceeded to cut them down with stunning accuracy, but the sheer number of opponents reminded Sailor Chronos of the Inner Senshi's battle with Mistress Nine's army of Daimons.

"Diana!" she panted into her wrist communicator at one point. "What's happened? Can you tell us how many?"

"I've just been informed that they don't know who's responsible for this; there was no order to deploy them. Their full Cyberoid complement has been teleported down: at least two hundred. The Captain has ordered that the self-destruct mechanism be activated but it doesn't seem to be working. You're going to have your hands full for a while."

"Moon Crystal Heart Attack!" came the shout from close by, followed by successive explosions. Sailor Moon's powerful attack was capable of destroying many of the robots at once, and Chronos was proud that Serenity had discovered the ability after not needing to use her powers for so many years.

"Chronos!" A sparkling silver hourglass appeared in her hands. "Temporal Vortex!" A tornado-like stream of energy sprouted from the hourglass and rendered several more Cyberoids into dust. Then she stumbled. That last attack had used up her remaining magical energy; obviously she hadn't the stamina she once had, and she mentally berated herself for getting lazy. Grimly she drew her sword and fought on. The others were beginning to show signs of exhaustion as well, despite the enhancing qualities of their weapons.

Sailor Moon found herself staring helplessly at the barrel of a blaster rifle. Its holder angled its head down at her. "Surrender or be destroyed in the name of the Syrollan Empire!"

She shook her head. "I will never surrender to you!" Even as she said it, she knew she couldn't use her Crystal Heart Attack again because the Cyberoid was too close to her. Mustering her strength, she leaped up into the air. "SAILOR MOON KICK!" Tired as she was, she managed to put enough force into the kick to unbalance the creature. This gave her the opportunity to grab a rifle from one of its destroyed compatriots and blast it.

"How much longer can we keep this up?" asked Vesta, who slowly walked up. It looked like she was barely able to stand. "All of us are... JUNO! LOOK OUT!"

Intent on battling a Cyberoid with her staff, the green-skirted Senshi was unaware that another was moving up behind her. Pallas and Ceres were facing their own opponents and hadn't noticed what was happening.

Sailor Moon knew that she wasn't a good enough shot with a blaster to hit the Cyberoid without injuring Juno also. Although weak and almost out of energy, she knew she had to do something, no matter what the cost to herself. She put her right hand up to her forehead; there was one thing that would work, no matter how bad her aim was. "MOON TIARA ACTION!" Just as her mother had once done, she launched her golden tiara at the enemy, incapacitating it. Then she collapsed.

"Sailor Moon!" Chronos and Vesta ran to her.

She smiled slightly as they helped her to her unsteady feet. "I'm okay... but I can't fight any more."

"Then allow me to assist you!" called a new voice. The newcomer was tall, brown-haired and wore a Syrollan uniform.

"Soldeen!" Sailor Moon sang out joyously.

The commander drew his weapon and quickly shot down the few remaining Cyberoids in the immediate area, then turned and smiled.

"I thought we told you to get lost!" Juno said.

He shrugged. "I decided that it was time for me to follow my instincts instead of orders. Your troubles are now mine. If you still cannot believe my trustworthiness, that's your problem."

"I for one am glad to have you with us," Chronos said. "We're all tired and those robots of yours just keep coming."

More Cyberoids were marching up the street. It looked bad.

"We'll beat this," Sailor Moon said quietly. "I don't know how yet, but we'll prevail. We have to."


	14. Chapter 14

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Fourteen: Last Effort

The situation was almost as chaotic aboard the Wraith's bridge as it was in Crystal Tokyo. Captain Dorani stormed from one station to the next, trying to cajole the ship's computer to give him the self-destruct code for the Cyberoids, but it had been encrypted. The Second was bearing the brunt of his wrath, even though both men knew he wasn't to blame; the rest of the officers were frazzled.

Kurisu was feeling a more than a little helpless, being unable to return to the surface because the teleporter had suddenly become inoperative for an unknown reason. Diana's report via communicator that the Knights and Senshi were managing to hold the Cyberoids off was some comfort, but he was still impatient to join them and wished he was able to teleport solo the way Chronos could.

"Sir," the Second finally said, "this isn't getting us anywhere. May I suggest we bypass the primary circuits and try to gain access through a minor link?"

"It looks like someone else has already thought of that, sir," an officer reported. "Sensors indicate that the Cyberoids on the surface are shutting down!"

"Are you sure?" Dorani barked. "It could be that the Senshi have succeeded in destroying them all."

The Second activated the holographic image of Crystal Tokyo and studied the readouts. "Confirmed! A shutdown signal was broadcast from the ship a few moments ago."

"Whoever did this couldn't have done it from the bridge," the Captain mused. "Where did the signal originate?"

"Deck ten, section one," was the response from the comm officer.

"The Alpha quarters? Nobody should be there now, we're still on alert! Ping their communicator, I want to know who it is."

"The return signal corresponds to that of Third- I mean, Second Commander Conja."

Dorani was clearly torn between berating her for not being at her assigned station and thanking her for being so resourceful. "I'll have to speak to that woman when this is all over," he grumbled.

"Try not to be too hard on her," Kurisu said. "Consider yourself fortunate to have such a crew member aboard. She has done much to help in the past few hours."

"True enough," the Captain said with a sigh, "but in our society it's rare for women to step out of line like this. Then again, this isn't exactly an ordinary situation."

"Captain," the Second said, his voice shaking. "Someone has activated the pulse cannon."

"WHAT?" Dorani bellowed. "I gave no such order. Shut it down!"

"I've already tried. All overrides are deactivated."

The comm system chimed. "I'm sorry, I can't do anything either," came Conja's voice. "That system was designed to be tamper-proof. My apologies Captain; I've been keeping an open comm link to the bridge in case something else came up that I could help with, but it seems that I'm not much help this time."

"Still, my thanks for all you have done," he replied tightly.

"And you have my thanks," said one of the bridge officers suddenly, "for giving me this honour! All of you, stay right where you are!"

"How dare you-!" Kavir began, but was silenced when the man drew a blaster and aimed at the Captain. The rest of the crew froze in place.

"Drop it, Forban!" Dorani ordered.

The man lowered the blaster and fired at his feet, leaving a smoking burn mark on the deck. "You thought you had won, but I have the last word!"

The Captain was unfazed. "Are you acting on your own, or are you with the mutineers?"

Forban grinned nastily. "The War Front wasn't leaving anything to chance. In case the mutiny failed, I was planted here and given the codes to the pulse cannon. The city below will be destroyed, and this planet will be ours. Don't-" he aimed his blaster at Dorani again as he tried to step forward, "-force me to kill you. You and the rest of your loyal officers can have the choice of joining us, or remaining behind on the planet when we leave to rendezvous with the main fleet. Once the invasion force arrives you'll be dead men anyway, since as you know, the Empire doesn't tolerate failure."

"Sir... less than two minutes until full firing power," someone said quietly. "Orders?"

The Captain bowed his head.

With all the attention focused on the Captain, nobody saw Kavir surreptitiously flick a switch on his communicator. With Dorani on the verge of surrendering, all he could do now was hope.

* * *

Juno heartily kicked an inert Cyberoid, and it fell over onto the pavement with a crunch. "I don't know what happened, but at least we don't have to worry about these things any more!"

The others were heaving sighs of relief. Nearing defeat, they had had to resort to using the Cyberoids' weapons when their own personal energies were depleted. Eventually they had dropped out of the fight one by one; only Chronos was standing when the robots had stopped, and even she was worn out from the effort of protecting Sailor Moon.

"They were shut down," Soldeen said after examining one. "Someone on board the ship must have finally been able to access the codes."

"I guess we can leave this to the sanitation department to clean up," said Ceres. "The scientists are going to love all these spare parts."

Pallas giggled as she whacked different parts of another motionless Cyberoid with her spear, each time finding a different sound. "This is better than playing the xylophone!"

"Will you grow up?" snapped Vesta, and her blue-skirted teammate subsided and stuck her tongue out.

Sailor Moon looked up at the sky, which was tinged with pink from the setting sun, matching her hair. "I still have the feeling it's not finished yet."

"It isn't!" Diana ran up. "I've received a signal from the ship. It was a prerecorded message which said 'Code White'. I have no idea what it means, but-"

"It means that they're going to use the pulse cannon," Soldeen interrupted. "I can only guess that someone has gained control of it and the Captain can't do anything to stop them. It takes about two minutes for it to orient and power up." His shoulders slumped. "To use your vernacular, we're toast."

Moon clenched her fists. "No! It can't end this way! I refuse to just give up, there must be something we can do!"

"Haven't you noticed that we're all exhausted?" Juno ranted. "We can't do anything more! It's over!"

Tears began to fall down Sailor Moon's cheeks. "No... it can't be over. Not when I've found some new friends. Not when I've found someone to love..." She walked over to Soldeen and took his hand in hers. "It's never over if we keep fighting."

After a moment of confusion, the realization came. "Serenity?"

She nodded. Letting go of his hand, she walked away a few steps then opened her locket, the ginzuishou shining brightly. "I lost my parents and my best friends. I will not lose you." As she spoke, a low ominous rumble began to build in the air.

Ceres shouted, "You can't be serious! You know what will happen!"

"It's the only way, and you all know it," Moon said firmly. "Come on, we're going to use Silver Crystal Power!"

"From what I've heard, it took nine Senshi to do it last time!" Vesta protested. "It'll take a miracle for us to succeed!"

"What matters is that we try!" she replied, and removed the crystal. It hovered between her hands for moment, then she raised it into the air as the five Senshi joined hands in a circle around her.

"Wait! What did she mean, she knows what will happen?" Soldeen demanded of Chronos.

She regarded him sadly. "The Silver Crystal augments and channels the life force of the wielder. To use its full power means to die."

His jaw dropped. "Serenity!" he cried in anguish.

Sailor Moon just smiled at him, then intoned the words.

"SILVER CRYSTAL POWER!"

* * *

"What's it going to be?" Forban sneered.

Dorani was reaching for his hood when a console began to beep urgently. "Sir!" the Second cried, "We have a buildup of energy on the surface! It has the same signature as that we detected just after we destroyed the citadel."

"It must be the Senshi. What are they trying to do, I wonder?"

"Whatever it is, it's too late." Kavir's voice cracked. "Pulse cannon firing." The bridge lights dimmed.

* * *

The Princess was filled with the light of the ginzuishou. She could feel the presence of her friends around her, lending her the encouragement and the power that she needed. However, she knew it wouldn't be sufficient, and reached out with her thoughts. "We live on a beautiful world, a peaceful world. We want it to remain that way, so that all who are with us and all who come after us can enjoy it."

Other thoughts answered her. Strangers, friends...

Her mother's advice. "Never doubt yourself, my daughter."

She aimed the brilliant beam skyward, focusing her mind on one thing: stop the cannon!

Soldeen and Diana stood nearby, breathlessly watching.

* * *

Kavir couldn't believe what he saw. The energy readouts were off the scale. Something had intercepted the cannon's beam and was heading for the ship!

"By the Light..." Dorani murmured.

Then they all were engulfed by a blinding whiteness.

* * *

As the power and life within her ebbed, Sailor Moon knew that the Syrollan cannon had been destroyed, and most likely the entire ship along with it. She could now make a wish if she wanted to, but what to say? She could restore the Palace, bring back her parents and the other Senshi, repair the damage that had been done to the city.

She could save herself.

But she realized that there was only one real choice.

"Please, save the people aboard the Wraith and bring them to Earth so that they may enjoy our peace!"

The ginzuishou glowed one last time, then its light faded.

Sailor Moon collapsed.


	15. Chapter 15

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope  
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Fifteen: Miracles

Sailor Chronos fell to her knees, not wanting to look at the fallen form of her friend. Yes, they all had known the consequences, but that didn't make it any easier to bear. What made it worse, for her at least, was the fact that Kuri-chan had been on board the Wraith. Was he all right?

The other Senshi just stood where they were, unable to speak.

"Serenity!" Soldeen ran to the princess, who had transformed back into her normal dress when she hit the ground; her locket lay next to her with a large crack in it. He knelt and gathered her in his arms, but she didn't move. "You can't die, not after all this! Please..." Holding her close, he kissed her.

At that moment, something wondrous happened. Serenity's body was surrounded by light, sparkling golden like the sunshine on a summer morning. After a few seconds it dimmed, and the cracked locket flared and became whole. Soldeen gently released the princess, and she opened her eyes and took a breath before exclaiming in surprise.

The stunned Senshi watched as she was helped to her feet, and stared when they saw what she had noticed. On the commander's forehead was a radiant golden symbol of a rising sun.

* * *

Kurisu and Dorani found themselves standing on a bluff overlooking Crystal Tokyo, which sparkled in the waning daylight.

"What is this?" the Captain asked, uncomprehending. "Where is my ship, my crew?"

At once Kurisu knew what must have happened. "I believe your ship has been destroyed," he said solemnly. "We, and I assume your crew, were rescued, but I dread to think of the price." He reached out with his senses, and could feel the presence of the Senshi in the city core. "Follow me, please."

With their capes flowing behind them, the two men ran down the hill.

* * *

"What... what's happened?" Serenity's question broke the silence.

"Of course," Chronos murmured as she rose on unsteady feet. "Sol-dean. Sun master. I should have realized. He's a descendant of one of the ancient royal families!"

"What?" the others chorused.

The commander touched his forehead as if to feel whether something was there, an expression of disbelief on his face. "Could someone please explain? I'm just an ordinary soldier; I never thought I could be otherwise!"

Chronos cleared her throat. "I'll tell you what I know, although most of it is according to myth. Long ago, there were several powerful royal families on Earth, various members of which were worshipped as gods by the humans of the time. They frequently quarreled among themselves about interference with the human race and each other, and finally it was decided that they each make their own domain within the solar system and rule it exclusively.

"One of the families went to the Moon, and became the forebears of Queen Serenity. Another went to Elysion, where the current descendant, Helios, still rules. A third, however, vanished. Some of the branches remained on Earth, interbred with humans and lost their powers over time, but the matriarch and a few of her children were never seen or heard from again."

"And you think that I could be related to this family?" asked Soldeen. "All I ever knew of this was that my name had been handed down through generations."

"There can be no question," Chronos said firmly, "given what just happened to you. Evidently a new kingdom was founded across the galaxy on the Syrollan homeworld. Over the centuries, the name changed and the family's power and influence were forgotten."

"However, the powers haven't been lost, they just became dormant as they passed from one generation to the next," Ceres theorized. "You finally reactivated them with the intensity of your feelings for Princess Serenity."

Serenity gazed at him with a joyous smile. "So your ancestors were a lost royal line! You're a Prince and you never knew!" She hugged him enthusiastically.

Vesta lifted an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "I guess we don't have to worry about these two any more."

Soldeen was clearly ecstatic. "When I volunteered for this mission, I had a feeling about it, but I didn't think that everything I could have wished for would be granted! Thank the Light."

"The Light?" Diana asked.

"My people have believed in a Goddess of Light since the beginning of our recorded history," he explained. "Nobody knows what her name was, if she had one. Ancient drawings depict her to be very beautiful with long golden hair, reaching up to the sky."

Vesta added, "If she was the head of the lost family, she was worshipped as a Goddess after settling on your planet."

"Heaven help us when you try to learn how to use your powers properly!" Pallas joked. "I heard that Princess here got into all sorts of trouble before she mastered hers."

Serenity glared at her, but couldn't remain angry for long as she and Soldeen stood arm in arm. "So what happens now? There's still the matter of the Syrollan Empire."

"I can help you with that." Captain Dorani walked up with Kurisu, and Sailor Chronos' characteristic aloofness was discarded as she tearfully embraced her mate.

Dorani nonchalantly waved aside the commander's brisk salute before bowing to the Princess. "Your Highness, Sir Kurisu told me of the proposal that you submitted to your Council earlier today. If you would kindly allow me the use of a communications transmitter, I'll inform the Empire of your suggestion of a treaty. They might not accept it right away, but it would be a start. I no longer want to cause any more grief, and since I have witnessed first-hand the power that you and your people are capable of displaying, I believe it would be in the Empire's best interests to have a peaceful solution."

The Princess curtsied, looking lovely as the moon rose behind her. "That would be much appreciated, Captain."

Captain Dorani was as good as his word. Holographic technology enabled him to speak directly with the Captain of the invasion fleet that was waiting just outside the solar system. The man hadn't been in a good mood, since engine troubles had plagued the entire fleet since their arrival. The initial reaction to the peace agreement was pure disbelief, but Dorani eventually managed to convince his colleague that conquering Earth would cost the Empire too much in troops and equipment, and even sent a draft copy of the treaty for his perusal. Juno was skeptical, but then again she always was, and the Senshi had Dorani's personal assurance that they had little to worry about.

The crew members of the Wraith that had been scattered throughout the city by the ginzuishou were located by the police during the night, and were offered the choice to return home when the Empire's envoy arrived, or to remain on Earth and build new lives. Those who were involved in the mutiny would be punished appopriately, but a few of them regretted their actions and Serenity insisted that they be treated with kindness.

* * *

Journal, July 3rd 2917  
At last it's almost over. The Council will meet today to officially end the hostilities, and I expect that Princess Serenity and Prince Soldeen will announce their engagement. The Prince wants Dorani, Kavir, Shingo, and Conja to be his personal Knights; this will probably cause quite a stir, considering that Conja will be the first female Knight in our history.

"This Council is in session!" the Speaker called. "All rise!" The assembly stood as the Princess and her entourage entered the chamber and seated themselves.

The ratification of the peace treaty didn't take long, and the document was signed by Princess Serenity of Earth with her chief advisor Sailor Chronos, and Captain Dorani with his second-in-command Kavir representing the Syrollan Empire.

"And now, I have a personal announcement to make," Serenity said. "I, Princess Serenity of Crystal Tokyo, hereby inform this Council of my engagement to Prince Soldeen of Syrol." She flushed and patiently waited for the expected nattering to wear down. "It is our belief that this will serve as a gesture of peace for both our peoples and strengthen our association."

The Speaker rose and held up his mallet. "As per tradition, I shall strike the session bell three times. Anyone who has a formal objection must speak now." He rang the bell once. Twice.

"I object to this proposal," called someone from the main doors.

All heads turned.

"MOTHER?" Serenity cried out.

Neo-Queen Serenity laughed. "I object only because I wasn't given the chance to announce it myself!"

Forgetting all else, the Princess almost flew into her mother's arms. "I thought you were dead!" She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her father smiling down at her. Behind him were four Sailor Senshi. "Father? Mercury! Mars! Venus! Jupiter!" She blinked back happy tears and hugged them all. "How?"

The Queen smiled and gestured for her daughter to walk ahead of her as she moved down the central aisle, accompanied by King Endymion and her guardians. Behind them on either side of the doors, quietly stood five more Senshi. Everyone in the House stood and bowed.

"Please be seated," the Queen said, then brought forth her Moon Tier, extended its handle to the floor and tapped it twice. "The King and I owe everybody, especially the Princess, an explanation."

"Some time ago, we sent the Outer Senshi out on an attempt to restore the defense grid that once protected our solar system," Endymion began. "We didn't wish to be surprised again like we were by the Black Moon. While the Senshi were occupied, the approach of the Syrollans was detected. Knowing that we likely could not defend Earth against such a force, we sent a message offering to negotiate peace. We received no response."

"Therefore, we made preparations for the worst," the Queen continued. "The Outer Senshi were able to partially activate the grid, but one ship got through. We estimated that the Crystal Palace would be their first target, and sent the Princess to a safe location before sealing ourselves in the underground chambers."

"So that's why the fleet was having problems," Dorani realized. "Your defense grid was interfering with their systems."

Now Princess Serenity stood, visibly shaking. "You knew." She glared accusingly at her parents. "YOU KNEW?" Whirling, she faced Chronos. "You and Diana too? And you didn't tell me?"

Chronos nodded. "We were under orders not to. I'm sorry."

"Please hear us out," the Queen said quickly before her daughter could start a tirade. "We had given you a comfortable life since you returned from the twentieth century, and we felt that because of this you had become somewhat indulgent. If a time arose when you needed to take command, we feared you might not be up to the task. This situation was an opportunity for you to grow into your full powers. And I must say, you did admirably well."

"And if I hadn't been able to do it?" The Princess was still angry. "You wouldn't have stood by and let the Syrollans take over?"

"Of course not," her father replied. "We would all have been there to help. Your using the ginzuishou was a large risk, and we could only hope that you would survive the effort if you did. In retrospect, perhaps we should have warned you, but if we had you might not have had sufficient motivation to address the problem yourself."

"Please don't be too hard on them," Soldeen said gently as he put his arm around her shoulders. "They were doing what they thought was best for you. Look at what you've accomplished; you did all that on your own. You should be proud. I am." He smiled lovingly at her.

"He's right," Chronos agreed. "We apologize for the deception and don't expect you to forgive us for some time, but think about how much you have grown in the past few days. Someday, you'll be a good Queen."

"Good? That's high praise, coming from her," Sailor Juno quipped.

Princess Serenity looked up at her Prince, then at her friends, her anger melting away. "Thank you. I've always wanted to live up to the legacy that I have. I hope that I did."

Sailor Chronos clapped her hands, followed by Ceres, then Vesta and the other Senshi. One by one, everyone in the chamber began to applaud until the House was filled with the sound of their appreciation.

* * *

Journal, July 3rd 2918  
Today will be remembered as one of the greatest days of Crystal Tokyo. Princess Serenity and Prince Soldeen were married in the throne room of the rebuilt Crystal Palace; not since Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san were married has this city seen such a lavish affair. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries from all around the world, and from off-world as well: the Grand Marshal of the Syrollan Empire military arrived to personally give the happy couple his blessing.

The Sailor Quartet were Serenity's bridesmaids, and I was not surprised to see that Ceres and Kavir spent a lot of time dancing together at the reception. I believe that Dorani may fancy Conja but he's very tight-lipped about it. Both men spend most of their time on duty or training with the other Knights, although they visit our home regularly and are good friends.

Early this morning before the wedding, Kurisu and I had our own joyful occasion to celebrate. Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion presided over the official anointing of our baby girl, Tenmei. I've had a premonition that one day she'll be a great Senshi.

THE END

Sailor Chronos  
October 2000

My thanks go to the following people:

My partner for his support and encouragement.

My good friends Daniel and Bruce for helping me complete my Sailor Moon video collection.

Fellow anime fan Leo for giving me the idea for the story in the first place.

And of course, Takeuchi Naoko, Sailor Moon's creator.


End file.
